


A Sort of Fairytale

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: Altered Memories, Carter's amusing nicknames for Oliver, Deja Vu, Dreams, F/M, Fairy Tales, Guilt, Hurt Chloe, Hurt Oliver, Insomnia, Lionel Luthor is creepy, Lois Lane is brutally honest, Lois is a Chlollie shipper, Memory Issues, Memory Loss, Ollie likes green, Wishes, altered realities, single malt scotch - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24194212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: The Once Upon a Time Smallville-style fanfic that no one asked for.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon/Dinah Lance, Lois Lane & Chloe Sullivan, Lois Lane/Clark Kent, Oliver Queen & Clark Kent, Oliver Queen & Mia Dearden, Oliver Queen & Tess Mercer, Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan, Oliver Queen/Dinah Lance
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

Chloe shifted the cup holder in her hand as she made her way down the street, adjusting her scarf then stilling when she looked up. It was a quarter past nine and the shop was closed. As she left their apartment to get coffee and breakfast, Lois had promised her she was on the way to get the shop and like a fool, Chloe had actually believed she was going to get out of bed. 

Annoyed, Chloe fished out her keys and unlocked the doors to The Story Tower, the small bookshop she owned with Lois. 

“Morning,” J’onn greeted, nodding as he walked by her on the sidewalk.

“Morning J’onn,” she said, glancing over her shoulder then sighing as she set the cupholder down on the floor before reaching for the lock, she really had to get someone to come look at it, it was extremely hard to open and close the front door, especially now that it was starting to get cold.

“Lois still making you open every morning, I see.” There was a hint of teasing in his voice.

Chloe paused and looked over her shoulder, smiling a little more, “don’t suppose you could arrest my sister for sleeping in, could you?”

He smiled back, tipping his hat to her. “Afraid not. But I might be able to be talked into giving her a ticket.” 

Making a face, Chloe shook her head, “she’d have to pay for that, the money would come from the store and no one would win, I think I will pass. Thank you, though.”

J’onn chuckled, nodding and heading for his car. “Have a good day.” 

“You too.” She called then reached for lock again, taking a deep breath before trying to turn the key, groaning when it didn’t move.

“Door sticking again?” he called out, arching his eyebrows. 

“It’s the cold,” she told him, shaking her head, “I got it. Thanks!”

“All right.” He climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled the car away from the curb.

Chloe waved at him then took a deep breath, Metropolis was hardly a busy town, but it didn’t meant the officers didn’t have better things to do than help her with a stupid key that just refused to turn.

“Need some help?” 

She paused and turned around, looked like the cops were all over the town this morning, “J’onn just asked me the same thing and I turned him down, but I might take you up on your offer.”

“And I’m not even on duty.” Oliver flashed her a grin, leaning against the side of the building as he gazed at her. He held his hand out for the key. “Let me see it.” 

Chloe smiled a little at him and held out her hand, “law enforcement is one of those 24/7 jobs, isn’t it?”

“For some of us.” He took the key from her, moving closer to the door and sliding it into the lock, jiggling it a little and grinning when it turned and he was able to open the door. “Here you go.” 

She took a deep breath and looked over at him, “you’re a hero, Oliver. Thank you.” She said sincerely as she reached down and picked up the cup holder once more, “can I interest you in a latte as your reward?” 

He cocked his head at that, studying her for a moment. “I don’t usually drink coffee, but I’ll make an exception.” He pulled the door open and stepped back to let her go in first.

Chloe smiled at him and stepped inside, “thank you.” She said again, turning the sign on the door to say open as she walked in then setting the coffee over the counter. “Make yourself comfortable, I just need to turn on the lights in the back.”

He watched her head away, sliding his hands into his pockets and glancing around. He liked reading, but he didn’t get a chance to do it very often. The job kept him busy--not as busy as he’d like most of the time, but busy enough. He studied one of the nearest shelves, gaze sliding over the various titles with interest.

The lights came on and a second later, Chloe walked back through the curtain that separated the back room to the storefront, “takes all of thirty seconds to open up when the lock works.” She told him, reaching for a cup of coffee almost instantly once she got back to the counter.

“Yeah, it’ll probably get harder the colder it gets,” he told her, glancing over at her again.

“I know, I need to change the lock,” she said, glancing over at the door, “I will see if Clark can do it, or I will call someone for it.”

“Clark is good with locks?” There was a hint of confusion in his voice.

“I don’t know?” She said sincerely, frowning a little and sipping on her coffee, “I mean, he’s a farmer, maybe he can figure it out?” Chloe cocked her head, “are you good with locks?”

“I can probably figure it out,” he told her.

“I just figured you’d be more used to taking them apart then putting them together.” She smiled a little.

“I’m a multi-talented kind of guy,” he said lightly, smiling back at her.

Chloe arched her eyebrows and smirked a little, then stopped her brain from going in the direction it was going. She didn’t know why it would in the first place, “good to know.” She said awkward, sipping on her coffee then quickly adding, “how is Dinah?”

His smile slipped a little and he nodded. “She’s fine,” he told her.

Awkward. She didn’t know why it felt awkward but Chloe just nodded a little, “so, hm, any plans for the rest of your day off?” She asked, trying to find a direction for the conversation that wouldn’t make either of them uncomfortable. 

“No, not really. Probably just spend some time working on stuff around the house,” Oliver admitted.

“You have a lot to do?” She asked, leaning sideways against the counter as she looked at him.

“Nah. Just a couple of things here and there. Gotta clean the gutters.” He paused. “Feel like there’s something else I should be remembering to do but...guess I’m getting too old because I don’t remember what it is.” 

Chloe paused at that and looked at him for a moment then nodded, “yeah, I keep feeling like there is something I’m missing too.” She admitted, “I guess it must be age.”

A short laugh escaped him. “I don’t think that’s probably your issue. What are you, twenty-five?” he teased.

“Women mature faster,” she pointed out, smiling a little when he laughed. “Besides you can’t be that much older than me.”

“A few years, I’d bet.” He grinned.

“Well, age is just a number anyway. You take me and my sister for example, you’d think the older one would be the responsible one,” Chloe waved a hand around, “Lois is probably still under the covers even though she promised me she was opening this morning and should have left the apartment over an hour ago.”

Oliver nodded, watching her for a moment. “Has it always been like that? You as the more responsible one?” 

Chloe considered that for a moment then shrugged, “I guess so. She will do what she needs to, but if it’s not necessary, it’s not always a priority with her.”

“I see,” he said, moving over to stand at the counter a few feet away from her. “I don’t have any siblings, so I’m always interested in hearing how the whole sibling thing works.” 

“I don’t think I would like that,” she admitted, “as much as Lois and I disagree on things, it’s nice having someone you’ve known your whole life.” 

Sadness flickered through his eyes. “Yeah, I bet.” 

She frowned a little at the look on his face and shook her head, “sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” She said sincerely. 

“You didn’t,” he assured her. 

Chloe looked at him for a moment then nodded a little, “if you get bored on the rest of your day off, you can borrow a book,” she offered, it wasn’t like him reading one second hand books, which were most of the store, would make a difference.

Oliver smiled softly at that, meeting her eyes for a moment. “I might take you up on that, Chloe. Thank you.” 

“No problem,” she smiled back at him then sipped on her coffee again, looking up when the door opened a moment later and arching her eyebrows when she saw Lois hurrying in. 

“I fell back asleep!” she announced, swiping hair out of her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” 

“I noticed,” Chloe said, arching her eyebrows, “I had to apologize for the line of customers we had waiting outside when I got here.”

Lois cocked her head at that, smirking. “Right.” She glanced at Oliver. “Sorry, Officer Ollie.” There was amusement in her tone. 

He couldn’t help but smile at the exchange between the two. “It’s fine, I ushered them all on their merry way,” he informed her.

“He did help me get the door unlocked though,” Chloe smirked at her sister, “so I offered him your latte.”

Lois’s eyes widened. “You gave him my latte?” she gasped. 

“It was getting cold.” Chloe pointed out. “Besides, I didn’t know when you were actually going to make it here.”

“I could have heated it up!” She turned and glared at Oliver. 

He took a step back away from the counter. “I think that’s my cue to take off.” Before he ended up getting socked in the jaw.

“Or you could just go back there and get us both fresh coffee,” Chloe offered Lois then looked at Oliver, “would you mind taking a look at the lock when you have some time?”

She frowned, then headed toward the door. She couldn’t not have coffee. 

Oliver hid a smile at Lois’s momentary pout, then glanced at Chloe once more. “Yeah, absolutely. I’ll come by later today.” 

“Thank you,” Chloe smiled at him, “like I said, whenever you get a chance. I’ll be here until eight anyway.” 

“All right. I’ll see you later then.” He smiled at her in return, taking another sip of the coffee. “And thanks for the coffee.” He headed toward the door.

“Thanks for your help.” She called, watching him go and holding her breath as she did, the feeling that she was missing something seemed to be stronger than usual all of the sudden. She just wished she had an idea, any idea, of what it was. 

* * * 

“So, are there a lot of mornings when Officer Ollie just happens to be hanging around our quaint little bookstore?” Lois took a drink of her latte, leaning her elbows on the counter near the register, a smirk on her face. 

Chloe frowned as she picked up a couple of books they had just bought back and needed to be organized, “why is there so much unspoken behind that question?” She asked suspiciously. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said innocently.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the first time he ever came in here.” Chloe said with a roll of her eyes.

“Really? Huh.” Lois sounded truly surprised by that, and she took another drink of coffee, flipping the page in the magazine she was looking at.

“Lois?” Chloe called when she went back to the magazine. 

“What?” She glanced over at her sister once more.

“Help?” She said, giving her a look then waving a hand at the stack of books. 

Lois groaned but reluctantly slid off the stool she was sitting on and moved toward the stack. “Fine, fine.” 

“Thank you,” Chloe smirked a little, “so have you heard from Clark lately?”

She bristled at that. “Why would I? It’s not like we have anything in common.” 

“Except staring when you’re anywhere near each other? And the way he stutters when he talks to you is kinda cute.” She smirked more.

Lois rolled her eyes. “He’s a _farmer_.” 

“That means good muscles, besides, he’s not just a farmer. He helps his mom out too. You could get your daily coffee for free, that’d be half our expenses right there.” She teased.

“Ha, ha,” she responded, pinning Chloe with a look.

Chloe grinned and shrugged, “I’m not saying you have to marry the guy, Lois.” She pointed out as she picked up a stack of books and walked over to the science fiction shelf.

“So, what, I should just sleep with him?” she asked, sounding uncertain.

“You’re both adults,” Chloe said, sliding the stack of books on the shelf, one by one, “I’m just pointing out you’re obviously at least somewhat attracted to each other if the way you stare is anything to go by. And you’re both single.”

Lois contemplated that for a moment before moving some of the books she was going through to another spot on the counter. “You know who else is single?” 

Arching her eyebrows, Chloe turned to look at her sister, knowing what was coming all too well.

She flashed Chloe a bright smile. “Maybe we could set up a double date.” 

“And who exactly would the fourth person be?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest once she was done with her books and turning to face Lois.

“Well. How about Officer Ollie?” she suggested sweetly. “I mean, he’s coming back tonight to check out our _lock_ , right?” 

“He is also in a relationship with Dinah.” Chloe pointed out, shaking her head, “as in, not part of the singles group.”

“They’re not married. They’re not even living together. So if he was really invested, he would’ve put a ring on it by now. No ring equals single,” Lois informed her. “Plus he keeps staring at you every time I see him and you’re around. He’s into you.” 

Rolling her eyes, Chloe walked over to the rest of the books, “still in a relationship, Lois.”

“Just a technicality.” 

“A lot more than that,” with a deep breath, Chloe reached for the pile Lois had moved and started going through it, not entirely sure why Lois’ suggestion bothered her as much as it did.

“Fine. Then not Ollie. But we need to find some hot guy to hook you up with.” 

“I’m fine with how I am,” she told her, shaking her head, “the only reason I suggested Clark was because it’s obvious between you two.”

Lois sighed. “Pretty obvious between you and Ollie, too, but no one ever bothers listening to me,” she grumbled.

Chloe looked at Lois for a moment and shook her head but said nothing. There was no point, sure Oliver was good looking and nice, but that didn’t mean anything more than that.


	2. Chapter 2

The day had gone by uneventfully, Chloe had worked on the inventory and Lois had helped the two customers they had had. Usually the store got busier on the weekend, when people in the little town of Metropolis, Illinois didn’t have as much to do. 

It was almost closing time and Oliver hadn’t come back yet, so Chloe assumed he wasn’t gonna make it today, “what do you wanna do for dinner?” She asked Lois as she looked up from her book. 

“We still have leftover pizza in the fridge,” Lois suggested.

Shrugging a little, Chloe nodded, “sounds easy enough.”

“Well, now that that’s decided--” The little bell above the door rang as it swung open and Oliver stepped inside, carrying a small toolbox.

Chloe lifted her head and looked over at Oliver, smiling a little when she saw him and standing up, “you made it,” she said, trying her best to sound casual, especially in front of Lois. Truth was, she had been a little disappointed that maybe he wasn’t going to show up at all.

“I try very hard to keep all my promises,” he said with a smile of his own, lifting his toolbox up. “Just needed some tools.” 

Nodding, she glanced over at her sister then looked back at him, “probably a good thing you brought them, we only have the basics here.”

Lois arched her eyebrows, stifling a smirk. “Well, I’m gonna head home. Chloe, I’ll see you _much_ later.” 

Chloe gave her a look, “we haven’t closed yet.” She pointed out, arching her eyebrows.

“Close enough.” She smirked, glancing toward Ollie and then back at her sister. “See you.” She headed for the door.

Sighing softly, she shook her head a little, if Lois was more obvious, she’d have her thoughts written in neon on her forehead. “Guess I’m closing today.” She murmured, then looked at him, “anything I can help you with?”

“No, I’m good,” he assured her, kneeling down in front of the door. He glanced over at her and smiled a little. “Long day?” 

“Not too bad, did you enjoy your day off?” She asked, cocking her head as she watched him work.

“Yeah, it was all right. I don’t take much time off,” he admitted, using a screwdriver to undo the screws in the door handle. “How were things here?” 

“Very quiet, but that’s not unusual for a weekday,” she told him, “did you get everything fixed?”

“Well.” He removed the handle. “I got the gutters cleaned. Then I fixed my neighbor’s fence. And...then it’s possible I sacked out on the couch for about four hours.” He smiled a little, sheepish.

“It’s your day off, you were supposed to sack out on the couch the entire day,” she smirked. “But you worked on your home and your neighbor’s home and now you’re working here.”

Oliver shrugged a little, removing the lock and setting it aside. “It’s not hard labor.”

“As long as you enjoy it.” She said quietly, “do you think it needs to be replaced?” 

“Yeah, definitely. It’s rusted,” he told her with a small smile. He reached into his toolbox, grabbing the new lock he’d bought from inside. He opened the package and pulled it out.

“You brought me a new one?” She shook her head, “you didn’t have to do that, Oliver.”

“Well.” Oliver slid the new lock into place and reached for his screwdriver once more. “It’s my sworn duty to do what I can to protect this city and its citizens. You’re a citizen in this city, so...” 

“And again, you’re on your night off and I don’t think a rusty lock is going to attack me, but if you want to be my knight in shiny armor, who am I to stop you?” She teased.

He paused at that, cocking his head and looking dazed for the briefest moment. “Well, I didn’t think the lock would attack you but if it didn’t hold up, someone could break in.”

“In Metropolis?” She smirked, but it was instinct since the look on his face made her feel a little... unsettled. 

“Hey, you never know. Stranger things have happened. Probably.” He smiled, meeting her eyes for a moment.

Chloe held his gaze back, her expression serious. She wasn’t really sure what he had said but there was something about him, something so familiar. And yet today was probably the longest time they’d talked in a day. Ever.

“You okay?” There was a hint of concern in his voice at the look on her face. 

She blinked, nodding a little, “yeah. Sorry, I must have...” she trailed off, “do you want water or... a soda?”

“No, I’m all right,” he assured her, studying her for a moment and trying unsuccessfully to shake the odd sense of deja vu he was having. 

“Okay,” she nodded a little, looking at him for a moment then looking down, “did you ever remember what it was you were forgetting?”

Oliver paused again. “No. I didn’t. Did you?” 

Chloe shook her head, holding his gaze again. “Maybe we should talk to Dr. Emil about our memories,” she joked, smiling a little.

He smiled faintly, too. “Yeah, maybe we should. Think it would help?” 

“He is our only doctor.” She said, “it better.”

He grinned involuntarily, nodding and finishing putting the lock into place. He slid the handle back into place next. “Any plans tonight?” 

Chloe held her breath then shook her head, “leftover pizza and a hot shower, probably. You?”

“Nothing,” he admitted, shrugging. “There’s a game on, but...I’m not that into football.” 

“Really?” She asked, surprised, “you’re not really a normal guy, are you?”

He laughed at that. “I guess not. I don’t remember ever caring about the game.” He frowned a little, cocking his head to the side. “I can’t remember if my dad did or not.” 

“Most guys I know do.” Not that she knew many, “even my sister does. It’s not really my thing, either.”

“Maybe we can have an anti-Superbowl party in February,” he joked. “While everyone else is watching football, we can hang out and...talk about stuff that isn’t football.” 

“That... actually sounds like fun.” She said, holding her breath as she did. It also sounded like she had accepted a date, what the hell was wrong with her?

“Yeah?” He arched his eyebrows, looking at her hopefully.

Absolutely not, is what she should have said, “sure.” She said instead, her heart skipping a beat.

Oliver smiled at her, his brown eyes lighting up. “Cool. In that case, I really look forward to February.” 

“Yeah.” She nodded a little, “assuming we’re not locked up in an asylum by then.” She teased.

“Why on earth would we be locked in an asylum?” He chuckled.

“Because of our memory issue? See you already forgot it.” Chloe said, smirking as she leaned back against the wall, but kept on watching him.

“Ah, right. _That._ ” He grinned again. “See, told you mine was worse than yours.” He finished with the door handle, setting his tools back in the toolbox, and standing up.

“Already?” She asked, sounding more disappointed than she should.

Oliver heard the disappointment in her voice, and paused. “Well...as a police officer, it’s my duty to make sure you get home safely after work.” 

Chloe paused too, doing her best to stop acting ridiculously, “you really don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” He hesitated. “I mean, if you’re okay with it.” He wasn’t sure what was going on with him. He didn’t normally escort random women he barely knew home from work, police officer or not. 

“I guess if it’s in your job description.” She tried, “what do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Oliver said with a small smile. “It wasn’t enough to be concerned about.” 

“At least let me pay you back for the lock?” She insisted, “you are already helping me a lot.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Tell you what. You can buy me a cup of tea on our way out of here?” he suggested.

And now he wanted to go for a drink. Tea counted as a drink, didn’t it? “Sure,” she said again, “let me just close up and we can head out.”

“Sounds good.” He set his toolbox on the counter.

Chloe looked at him for a moment longer then headed to the back room, once she was hidden by the curtain, she took a deep breath, trying to force herself to think clearly. This was not a good idea. At all. This was probably the worst idea she’d had in a long time but she couldn’t exactly just tell him she wouldn’t buy him a cup of tea after everything he’d done for her, so she had no choice but to go with him. And sit at the cafe with him... and talk to him some more. 

* * * 

“So, how long have you lived in Metropolis, Chloe?” Oliver asked as they approached the front door of the small diner.

“Always,” she said, frowning a little then smiling, “what about you?”

He paused, glancing at her. “Yeah, same here.” 

Chloe frowned a little more then shook her head, “it’s weird, I don’t really remember you growing up.” 

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek. “Me either,” he admitted.

“I guess we can’t know everyone.” She said quietly, staring at him, “we weren’t even in the same year,” but they would have definitely gone to school together.

“Right. I mean, we probably saw each other and just didn’t pay attention. Right?” 

“That would make the most sense,” Chloe said with a nod. Although her growing up around him and not noticing him really didn’t. 

He didn’t seem convinced that’s all there was to it, either, but he didn’t mention it again. He opened the door for her when they reached the diner, offering her a small smile. 

With a deep breath, she stepped inside, “do you just want tea? I mean, have you had dinner?”

“I haven’t,” he admitted, his smile brightening a little. 

“You could at least let me buy you food for all your help.” She said, even as she kicked herself mentally. 

“You may just talk me into that, though I really don’t expect any kind of payment,” he said honestly, following her inside.

“I won’t be paying you, I’ll pay Martha, so that works out, right?” She asked him, glancing over her shoulder as she walked toward a booth. 

“Semantics,” he said lightly, following her to the booth and sitting down across from her.

“Still,” she smiled at him as she sat down in front of him. He was the one in a relationship and he was the one who had agreed to this, so obviously it didn’t mean anything, which meant, since they were there anyway, she might as well enjoy the conversation. 

He smiled back, taking a deep breath and ordering some tea when the waitress arrived, waiting for Chloe to order, as well.

She went with a coke, since apparently they were also having food, “what do you usually have?” She asked once the waitress left. 

“Usually just a sandwich and soup,” he told her. “What about you?” 

“It depends, I like the pies the best. I think I’ll have the chicken pot pie today.”

“I’ve heard that’s good,” he admitted, glancing at her sideways as he looked at the menu. 

“You’ve never had it?” She was surprised, “it’s one of my favorites, especially in the winter.”

“No, but maybe I’ll give it a shot.” 

“It’s not as good as the apple pie, but I guess I can’t have that for dinner every night.” Chloe smirked, not entirely sure what she was saying. 

He smirked, too, amusement glittering in his eyes. “So apple pie’s your thing?” 

“Coffee is my thing,” Chloe smirked.

“Now, how did I miss that?” he teased.

“I guess you just don’t know me very well,” she grinned a little, shaking her head. 

He had the serious urge to remedy that and he nodded, giving her a thoughtful look. “So, all coffee, or just certain kinds?” 

“All coffee, pretty much.” She shrugged a little, “I mean, I have my preferences but I’ll drink any kind.”

Something he’d be sure and keep in mind. A hint of guilt flickered through him, and he wondered what he was doing. He was seeing Dinah. Sure, they weren’t all that serious, but he was enjoying the conversation with Chloe much more than he usually enjoyed talking in general. Was it just because they’d never really talked before? He wasn’t sure.

“All done for the day,” Bart said as he walked into the small diner and set the delivery box on the counter, pausing when he saw Chloe and Oliver, “didn’t realize we still had people here.” He apologized but smiled. 

“Hey Bart,” Chloe smiled back at him, “just a little later than usual. No more deliveries today?”

Oliver stared at the younger man for a moment, feeling that odd sense of deja vu once more. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Good thing it’s just you guys or I was about to get yelled at.” Bart smiled at them, “man, I’m starving.” 

“Guess you’re in the right place then,” Chloe said, smirking. She usually saw Bart at least once a day when she and Lois ordered lunch from the diner and he came by to deliver it. Since neither of them cooked, it was a life saver.

Oliver arched his eyebrows as Bart moved toward the kitchen, returning a moment later with a sandwich and taking a huge bite out of it. He glanced at Chloe, vague amusement on his face. 

Chloe grinned a little and shook her head, “I’ve never seen someone eat as much as he does.”

“Really? Him?” His eyebrows rose even more at that. 

“Yep, that is probably the first of like five sandwiches you will see him eating before we’re done,” Chloe said, glancing as Bart sat down by the counter with a glass of milk and the remainder of his sandwich. 

“Where the hell does he put it?” he wondered aloud.

She grinned, shaking her head, pausing as the waitress brought them their drinks and took their food orders, “I’ve asked, he said deliveries take a lot of energy.” 

“And he swears he has the highest metabolism of anyone in the city,” the waitress added with a smirk.

“I do!” Bart called over his shoulder from the counter, “how do you think I keep up my figure, Courtney?” He winked at her. 

She rolled her eyes, then looked at Chloe and Oliver once more. “I’ll be back with your food soon,” she promised with a smile.

Oliver chuckled softly at the interaction between the two younger people and glanced at Chloe. “Think they’re dating?” 

“I don’t know,” Chloe admitted, watching them for a moment before looking back at Oliver, “looks like they get along really well.”

“Yeah, it does,” he agreed, meeting her eyes and holding her gaze.

And just when she was managing to relax, there it was again. Chloe held her breath as she held his gaze. She should ask him about Dinah, do something to break eye contact but she couldn’t bring herself to, “it’s a start.” She said instead and that was enough to make her look away, what the hell was wrong with her?

He gazed back at her, holding his breath, as well. It was definitely a start. He just wasn’t sure what it was the start _of_.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver glanced at Chloe sideways as they left the diner. “So where do you live?” he asked curiously. If it was too far, he’d have to go back and get his car. While the city wasn’t huge, it was still big enough that walking from one side of it to another would definitely take awhile.

“Above the drugstore,” she said, pointing down the street then sliding her hands into her coat pockets. It was only fall but it was definitely colder at night. “Where is your house?” She asked, cocking her head a little. She should know that. 

“Oh, just a few blocks from you,” he said, arching his eyebrows and looking a bit surprised. “We’re practically neighbors. I’m over on Oak Street.” 

“Well, it is Metropolis,” she grinned a little, “everyone is practically neighbors.”

“True.” He grinned, too, pausing for a second when he saw a familiar figure heading toward them, looking just as annoyed and grumpy as ever. 

Chloe glanced up at Oliver and arched her eyebrows a little but remained quiet as they walked toward the man. 

Carter looked up at the two of them, his frown deepening and then his eyes widened as he stared. 

“You all right?” Oliver asked, chewing the inside of his cheek at the look on the other man’s face.

Chloe looked up at Carter then back at Oliver when he just continued to stare at them, “Carter? Is something wrong?”

Oliver frowned, glancing at Chloe again, and then back at the older man, wondering if he was drunk again. Or still. Whichever the case may be.

“You.” Carter said, staring between the two of them, “this place. Everything is wrong.” He said firmly.

She blinked in surprise, her stomach tightening a little. He was right about it being wrong that she was there with Oliver but, it was perfectly innocent. 

“What are you talking about?” Oliver asked uncertainly.

“It can’t be this way,” Carter said, shaking his head, then he pointed a finger at Oliver, “this isn’t you!” He yelled before marching away from them in a hurry. 

Chloe watched him go, swallowing hard as she did. They called him Crazy Carter but that was... more. It was something else. 

He blinked a couple of times, watching him go as well. “...was it something I said?” 

“I think it might be because you’re with me.” She said, “he looked at both of us when he said everything was wrong.”

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t really make any sense.” He frowned, glancing at her sideways.

She took a step back, putting more space between them, “maybe it’s because you’re with Dinah, people could get the wrong idea.” She told him uncomfortably.

Oliver blinked a few times, and shook his head. “Dinah and I are very casual.” 

“Well, it’s none of my business.” She said, pursing her lips together, “but... small town. You know how it is.” 

“Honestly, Chloe. It’s not a big deal. We’ve never been exclusive.” He wasn’t entirely sure why he needed so badly for her to believe that.

Not exclusive made it sound like they could see other people but they would still be seeing each other and that bothered her more than he ever needed to know. “I can just go back, I’m less than a block away.”

He looked down, sighing very softly. “I’m sorry.” 

“Why?” She asked with a frown, even as her chest tightened, “I just want to avoid drama.”

“I didn’t mean to cause any,” he said softly.

“I know.” She said with a frown as she hesitantly took a step toward him, “all you did was help me.”

Oliver looked up at her once more, smiling faintly though it didn’t reach his eyes. “But you’d like to part ways now.” His voice was soft.

Her chest was painfully tight now and she didn’t understand why, “I think it would be better. Not to cause you any issues.”

“It wouldn’t. But...I understand.” He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Have a good night, Chloe.” 

She crossed her arms over her chest tightly and nodded a little, “thanks again,” she said quietly, watching him closely.

“Sure thing. Protect and serve,” he murmured, nodding at her before turning and slowly heading away.

Chloe turned to watch him go, her eyes felt warm and she didn’t understand why. Her emotions were so much stronger than they should be. She felt like she would never see him again, like she was losing one of the most important people of her life over a guy she barely knew. 

* * * 

She had managed to get home and by pass Lois without too many issues, as Oliver reminded her, there was a game on and her sister was definitely more interested in that than anything else, something Chloe was grateful for. She showered quickly and went to bed, feeling emotionally drained even as she tried to figure out what was going on. Between her feelings being way out of control, Carter’s accusations and Oliver just... being Oliver, it took her awhile to finally fall asleep. But even when she did, she dreamed of him.

_”I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The man in front of them said._

_Chloe grinned brightly and looked up at Oliver, nothing had ever felt as right as this did, right now, and nothing had ever made her so happy before._

_Oliver grinned back just as brightly before dipping his head and capturing her lips in a kiss, one hand cupping her cheek._

_She kissed him back, her hands going to his sides and wrapping around the material of his green suit. She deepened the kiss and only pulled back when she heard Lois, Clark, Tess and Emil whistling in the background. She grinned at them then looked back at Ollie, “what happens now?” She asked, divided between wanting to find the nearest room with him and celebrate with their friends a while longer._

_“I need to buy you a ring,” he said very seriously. “A really pretty one. It’ll be perfect.”_

_Chloe laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting to be further away from him than necessary, “that’s so not what I meant.”_

_He smiled, hugging her close and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “We buy a house,” he said excitedly. “Or...well, I mean the penthouse is great, but...I want an actual house. Don’t you?”_

_“Ollie?” She grinned, leaning closer and brushing her nose against his, “I’m talking about a much more immediate future.” She said, holding his gaze._

_He blinked at that, then smiled sheepishly. “_ Oh. _Well, what do you want to do, Professor?”_

_Chloe grinned more then leaned in closer and kissed him deeply again. That should be a good enough answer._

_“I really agree with that idea,” he told her, kissing her once more, winding his hand in her hair._

_There was a loud whistle followed by Lois saying, “plenty of time for that_ later _, let’s go!”_

_Chloe groaned a little against his lips then looked up at him, “I wish you could run faster than Clark.”_

_He groaned, too, leaning his forehead against hers. “Me too.” He pouted._

_“Come on!” Lois called impatiently. “You have the rest of your lives for that now!”_

_She kissed him once again then reached for his hand, “I guess she has a point,” Chloe said with a smile, her heart skipping a beat at the thought of spending the rest of her life with him. For once, she didn’t want to run._

_“But it_ is _technically now our honeymoon, Lois,” he complained._

 _“Not until_ my _engagement party is over,” she said, grinning at him, “c’mon, we’ll have fun!”_

_“Just a couple more hours.” Chloe promised him, “then we’ll celebrate.”_

_Oliver sighed. “But _we_ didn’t even get an engagement party.” He paused, cocking his head. “We’ll have a post-engagement party.” He grinned._

_She grinned back at him and nodded, “we will have a party with everyone, in the new house you want.” She promised, leaning in and kissing his cheek before tugging on his hand toward the others._

_He squeezed her hand, his eyes bright as he followed her without hesitation._

_Chloe followed the others outside the building and paused when she saw the car, now fully decorated, she laughed, “I thought it was your limo, Lo.”_

_“I can share with my favorite cuz,” Lois answered, wrapping her arms around Chloe’s shoulder._

“Cousin,” Chloe murmured when she woke up, frowning hard, her head felt heavy, like there was far too much information in it. As she remembered her dream, her stomach dropped, she didn’t understand why her subconscious had decided to torture her like that, why she had dreamed of something she would never have, of a kind of happiness she was pretty sure didn’t exist in real life. 

With a deep breath, she got up and headed quietly to the kitchen, pretty sure she wasn’t going to manage to get anymore sleep that night.

Lois was standing at the refrigerator, peering inside. When she heard the footsteps behind her, she glanced over her shoulder. “Chlo? What are you doing up?” 

Chloe stilled and stared at her sister for a moment. Sister _not_ cousin, “I-- woke up, what are you doing up?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Well, I see that. I’m looking for a Midnight snack.” She glanced at the clock on the stove. “Okay, a two a.m. snack. Whatever.” 

“It’s only two?” Her heart sank, what the hell was she going to do the rest of the night? She’d been hoping it was almost time to go to work so she could at least keep her mind busy.

Lois gave her a confused look. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” Chloe lied, she knew she had to get away from Lois as quickly as possible before she asked too much, “just wanted some water.”

“O-kay.” Lois didn’t sound convinced, but she reached into the cabinet, pulling down a glass and holding it out to her sister. 

“Thanks,” Chloe said, stepping closer to the refrigerator, “you haven’t gone to bed yet?”

“I did. But I can’t sleep,” she admitted with a shrug. “Wide awake.” 

Great. Chloe nodded slightly, “any particular reason?”

“Nope. I don’t think so. Just insomnia. Maybe I should have warm milk. Isn’t that supposed to help?” 

“I guess so,” she considered her sister for a moment, “I just don’t know if we have any milk.”

“Maybe I’ll go down to the Casey’s and pick some up.” Lois sighed.

“Do you want me to come with you?” She offered, maybe a walk would help some. At least it could tire her out a little more.

“Sure, if you think you won’t be able to get back to sleep.” Lois arched her eyebrows.

“Guess I’m awake now too,” she said quietly, forcing a smile, “grab a coat, it’s colder out.”

“All right. I’m gonna grab real shoes this time, too.” She smirked faintly, looking at her sister with worried eyes. “I don’t wanna get the bunnies all dirty again.” She looked down at her feet, picking up one foot and wiggling it around. 

“Good plan,” Chloe said, cocking her head a little before heading back into her room and taking a deep breath. Part of her wanted to tell her what was going on but part of her didn’t want to deal with Lois thinking there was more to her and Oliver than there was. She came back out with a coat and boots on, “c’mon, Lo.” She called.

Lois joined her at the door a moment later, sporting a pair of running shoes and a coat of her own. “Let’s go.” 

“How was the game?” Chloe asked as they started out of the apartment, mostly to make conversation so Lois wouldn’t ask too much.

“It was great, actually. The Bears were kicking ass, and...it suddenly occurs to me that you couldn’t care less what happened in a football game, so...what’s going on with you?” 

“Just showing an interest in your interests,” Chloe tried, shaking her head a little, “also wondering how bad your mood would be if they had lost.”

“Uh-huh.” Lois glanced at her sideways, looking unconvinced.

Chloe sighed softly and shook her head, “I just had a weird dream, it was really realistic so it’s a little disorienting.” There, good enough. She hoped.

“What kind of weird dream? About what? Was I in it?” 

“I’m not entirely sure,” she glanced at Lois, “you were in it, but you were my... cousin instead?”

Lois blinked a couple of times. “Really? That’s strange.” 

“Yeah, it makes no sense,” Chloe told her, smiling a little. 

“Who else was in it?” she asked curiously as they walked.

“A lot of people.” She slid her hands into her pockets and looked down, “I think Clark was there.”

Lois glanced at her again. “Clark? Really?” 

“Yeah,” she said sincerely. And she just remembered it was supposedly Lois’ engagement party, except, she was getting married. That made even less sense. “I think so.”

“That’s weird.” She looked perturbed by the news, and looked ahead as they walked down the street.

Chloe frowned a little at the look on her sister’s face, “are _you_ okay?”

“Yeah. Just...strange. I mean, dreaming about that I’m your cousin and Clark’s there.” 

“I know.” She agreed, “you being my cousin makes zero sense.” Lois was her only family, she couldn’t imagine not having her as her sister. Not growing up as close to her as she did. That was the only bad part about that dream. 

“Well. It was just a dream. Just like a jumble of subconscious crap all mashed together. Most of them don’t make that much sense, I guess.” 

“Yeah, they don’t. I guess some are just more vivid than others.” She told Lois, smiling a little and wishing she could shake this off because she knew Lois was right. It just had felt _so_ real, she couldn’t help but wish she could feel half as happy as she had in her dream.

“Still bothering you though, isn’t it?” 

Chloe glanced over at her sister and shrugged a little, “I’m sure I will barely be able to remember it in the morning.” 

Lois met her eyes for a moment, but didn’t seem convinced. Still, she let it go. At least for the time being.


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver was standing at the counter of The Daily Bean, waiting on his hot tea. It was a good night for tea, especially if you were on foot patrol in the city that night, considering how cold it suddenly was outside. His mood all day had been less than stellar, and he’d snapped at one of his co-workers before leaving for his shift. Now he felt guilty, but his mood still wasn’t any better than it had been. He was hoping the tea would help, at least a little. And the Daily Bean, while known for their coffee, also made amazing tea. 

He thanked the woman behind the counter and turned to go, pausing when he spotted a familiar face. “Hey, Clark.” 

“Oliver,” Clark greeted with a smile, “haven’t seen you in a while.” 

He smiled back at the other man. “Yeah, it has been a while,” he agreed. “How’ve you been?” 

“Good,” he nodded, “just working at the farm, I just brought over fresh vegetables and fruits for mom for tomorrow.” He told him.

“That’s what I love about this town. I know where my food is actually coming from,” Oliver told him. “Something you can’t say about most places.” 

“What other places?” Clark joked, smiling at him, “has everything been calm otherwise? I feel like I can get a little isolated from everyone else.”

“Yeah, everything’s been all right,” he assured him. “Quiet as ever. And yeah, I bet you can. We should grab some drinks sometime.” 

“We should do that.” Clark agreed. 

“Here,” Martha said a moment later, carrying a piece of pie over to Clark, “eat something.” She told her son, giving him a knowing look before heading away again. 

“Thanks, mom.” Clark called then nodded at the counter, “do you have time to sit down?”

“Yeah, I can do that for a few minutes.” The radio was silent at the moment anyway. It usually was.

“Are you guys getting a lot of extra work with the faire coming up too?” He asked, taking a bite of the pie.

“Yeah, most of us are going to be patrolling, but in plain clothes. Which only matters because of the out-of-towners.” Everyone else from town would recognize him, and the other officers there. 

“Hopefully we will get a big crowd this year,” Clark said, “mom is doing a lot of preparing for it too.”

“I bet you will,” he said with a nod. “They’re predicting a lot of traffic.” 

“It will be nice to see a crowd.” Clark nodded a little as he finished off his pie, “we never really get outsiders.”

“No, not very often,” Oliver agreed.

“Mom mentioned some people might be celebrating over at AC’s after the faire, maybe we can all meet up there.” Clark suggested, listening to his mom’s advice about making friends for once.

“Yeah? Hey, that sounds good.” He smiled at Clark, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his tea.

“Yeah, I think so too, we need more things like that.” He told him. 

Oliver was quiet for a moment, thinking about his interaction with Chloe the day before and sighing softly. “Yeah. I need to meet people.” 

Clark frowned a little, “everything okay?”

“Yeah.” He smiled faintly, taking another sip of tea. “I suppose I should get to work, though.” 

Nodding a little, Clark sat up, “I’ll see you around on Saturday.” 

“I look forward to it.” Oliver stood up, nodding at him in return and then heading for the exit. It was going to be a long night. 

* * *

Chloe was also out late that night, it had been almost twenty-four hours and she still couldn’t shake off that dream. She had spent all day both hoping not to see Oliver at all, and hoping he would come into the store. He hadn’t, of course and she decided to take that as some kind of sign. A sign that she had to force herself to quit thinking about him. Somehow. Eventually. 

With a deep breath, she wrapped her scarf around her neck and stepped out of the grocery store. They had been just about to close when she walked in but at least, they let her in to grab some milk. In case they couldn’t sleep again. Not that it had helped much the night before, but it gave her something to do. 

She was heading to her apartment when she heard laughter, just as she was crossing the street, she saw Dinah. Her stomach clenched instantly, both with jealousy and guilt and she wished she hadn’t been halfway over the street so she could turn around and stay on the opposite side of it without looking stupid. But then she realized that Dinah wasn’t alone, and she wasn’t paying any attention to her. She was walking with someone toward the alley behind The Daily Bean. 

Dinah laughed again and since Chloe had no choice but to walk right by the alley, she glanced down at the woman as she did. And then she paused. Her eyes widened a little when she realized Dinah was _making out_ with someone, someone shorter than her, someone who was definitely not Oliver since Oliver wasn’t a woman. 

As if sensing the attention, Dinah looked around until her gaze focused on Chloe. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise and for a moment she simply stared at her. The red-head with her did the same, and then they looked at one another. Muttering something to the dark-haired woman, Dinah pulled away from her and headed toward the other blonde.

Chloe blinked a couple of times but didn’t move, it wasn’t like she could walk away now that the woman had noticed her. 

“Hi, Chloe,” Dinah said awkwardly.

“Hi.” She said, “I didn’t mean to stare,” she told her awkwardly. She wouldn’t have looked twice at two women kissing if it hadn’t been for the fact that Dinah was supposed to be in a relationship of some sort with the guy of her dreams. In the literal sense anyway.

“We weren’t...exactly being discreet,” she answered, hesitating. “I’m sorry to put you in this position, but I have to ask you not to say anything to anyone.” 

Chloe took a deep breath at that and pursed her lips together, “I won’t.” She said sincerely, “but... while it’s none of my business, Oliver is a nice guy and,” she hesitated, her stomach tighter, “maybe you should just be honest with him.”

Dinah looked down for a moment, and sighed softly. “I know. I will.” 

Nodding a little, Chloe took a step back, “no one will hear anything from me.” She assured the woman once more. As long as she wasn’t hurting Oliver like Chloe already had. He deserved better.

“Thank you, Chloe. Have a good night,” she answered, before turning and heading back toward the red-headed woman.

“You too.” She called, looking over at them before turning away and starting on her way again. She was sure it wouldn’t be easy for Dinah to come out in such a small town but she knew Oliver wouldn’t be the kind of guy to judge her because of it. At least the Oliver in her head wouldn’t be. 

“Miss Sullivan. What a nice surprise,” a familiar voice asserted.

Chloe stilled and looked up, a chill running down her spine. She didn’t know why, but Lionel Luthor made her skin crawl. “Mr. Luthor, hi.” She said politely, shifting the plastic bag with the milk from one hand to another. “What brings you to town so late at night?”

“Just out for a walk.” He studied her for a moment, gaze shifting to the bag in her hands. “How was your day?” 

“Uneventful,” she said, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible, “I should get back, Lois is waiting on this so we can have mac and cheese,” the lied just rolled off of her tongue but her sense of self-preservation was screaming at her to be careful around the man. 

“Well, that’s not the most healthy of meals, now is it? Why don’t you and your sister join me for dinner?” he suggested, smiling.

“Oh,” Chloe said, eyes widening a little, “that’s very generous of you Mr. Luthor, but Lois has a headache and mac and cheese is kind of her comfort food, so, it will probably help some.” That much was true at least, the comfort food part.

“I see.” The disappointment was clear on his face. “Perhaps another time then.” He cocked his head to the side.

“Of course,” she nodded a little, her stomach clenching, “another time.”

“Excellent. I very much look forward to it. Soon.” He smiled once more, then started to move past her. “Have a good night, Miss Sullivan.” 

“Good night, Mr. Luthor.” She called, holding her breath as she glanced over her shoulder, then headed to the apartment once again, much quicker than she had before.

* * *

As soon as she walked into the apartment, Chloe locked the door behind herself and took a deep breath. If she never had to be around Lionel Luthor again, it’d be too soon, but she couldn’t understand _why_ he scared her so much. The same way she couldn’t understand why Oliver affected her as much as he did.

“Hey.” Lois looked up from her place on the couch where she was cradling the remote control in her hands. “You all right?” 

Chloe stared at her sister for a moment then nodded a little, “I got us milk.” She said, lifting the bag slightly but the frown remained on her face.

“You remember we got a half gallon last night, right?” She arched her eyebrows, confused.

She paused, blinking a couple of times at that, “I... figured you had had most of it?” She lied. She had really just been wanting to walk around for a while longer and she hadn’t been able to think of anything else to get at the store.

Lois smirked. “Except that whole thing where I only drink milk if I can’t sleep or need cookies.” 

“And in your coffee.” Chloe pointed out, then headed to the fridge to put the milk away.

She watched her sister for a moment, then got off the sofa and followed her into the small kitchen area. “You seem freaked out.” 

With a deep breath, Chloe nodded a little as she turned to look at her sister and leaned against the counter, “I ran into Lionel Luthor.”

Lois made a face. “Lucky you.” 

“That, right there.” She pointed at the look on her sister’s face, “why did you make that face?”

“Because the guy’s creepy?” Lois frowned.

“Right, but why do you think that? Why don’t you like him? Can you think of a single reason why you feel that way about him?” She pushed.

She paused, considering Chloe’s question for a long moment, and then leaning back against the wall. “Not really. I mean, I’ve barely talked to the guy. He just seems like a sleaze ball.” 

“He looks like one, but he’s always been super polite to me.” She told Lois, “I was trying to get away from him today and I said I had to bring the milk home so we could make mac and cheese and he offered to get us dinner.” Chloe told her, “it completely creeped me out, but I don’t know _why_ , I can’t think of a single situation where Lionel was less than a gentleman, to anyone.”

Lois pursed her lips. “Me either, but you know what they say. Follow your gut instincts.” She shrugged. 

“Are we doing that or are we just going on his appearances, though?” She asked, taking a deep breath, “I don’t know, Lo. It’s not just with him...”

“What do you mean?” Lois’s frown deepened.

“I don’t know,” she lied, she wanted to tell her about Oliver but she couldn’t bring herself to, “take Clark for example. I trust him with my life, but I don’t know why. We talk sometimes and he is nice, but... I can’t think of a concrete reason why I should. He never did anything to make me trust him like that.”

Lois cocked her head. “No, but now that you mention it...” Her voice trailed off, and she looked at her sister once more. “Though honestly I feel the same way about Officer Oliver. Which I guess...I mean he’s a police officer so that kinda makes sense, but Clark is a farmer and...” She shrugged.

“It makes no sense.” She said quietly, shaking her head, “I just feel like I’m missing something, like we all are.” She hesitated, “when Oliver was over at the store yesterday, he mentioned he went to school here, but I don’t remember him growing up at all, do you?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “But to be honest with you, my memories of growing up here are a little fuzzy, too.” 

“So are mine,” Chloe said sincerely, “it’s almost like I only remember flashes of things, but there is no story, nothing leading up to it, nothing that comes after.” 

“But none of that makes any sense,” Lois said slowly.

“It doesn’t.” She told her cousin, “and I want to figure out why.”

Her sister met her eyes and nodded ever-so-slightly. “Then let’s figure it out.” 

Chloe straightened and nodded a little, if anyone could help her figure out whatever was going on, it was definitely Lois.


	5. Chapter 5

The fair was going really well, they opened the store and although they had quite a bit of browsers, they were doing pretty decent business too. Not that Chloe was paying much attention to that. She was on the floor helping customers while Lois worked the register, mostly because she kept being distracted by glancing outside, trying to catch a glimpse of Oliver and this was, her attention wasn’t as needed. 

She kept telling herself it was because she wanted to make sure he was okay after Dinah hopefully came clean with him, even as she tried hard to ignore the fact that she _missed_ him. It was yet another one of the feelings she couldn’t explain, but one she hadn’t added to the list she and Lois had been working on since their talk a couple of nights ago. 

They hadn’t really been able to make any kind of discoveries or really all that much progress, but they both figured that it was the best place to start. Next, they planned on trying to ask more people if they felt the same way, but that’d have to wait until the fair was over. 

Chloe paused when she realized she was staring out into the crowd again, searching it, so she took a deep breath and looked over at her sister, “Lo?” She called, “I’m gonna go pick us up some coffee, okay?” She needed to focus, to stop letting her brain wander like that. And for that, she needed caffeine.

“Okay,” Lois called back from behind the register. “Get me an extra grande!” 

“Will do,” Chloe smiled at her before heading out of the shop, she imagined Mrs. Kent’s line was going to be out of the door, but things were a little quieter at the bookstore now, so she should be okay to be gone for a little while, besides, they only had about three hours to go before they could close up for the day. 

“Hey, Chloe,” Clark greeted her with a smile a few moments later, outside the shop. “How are you guys doing today with the business?” 

“Hey,” she greeted him with a smile, the affection she felt for Clark was yet another unexplainable feeling, but it was pretty strong in an almost sibling-like way. “Pretty good, we’re keeping busy.” She glanced at the cafe, “you guys all sold out yet?”

“Good, glad to hear it. Not yet, but they’re keeping us busy. As you can see.” He grinned, looking at the long line. 

Chloe nodded a little, “it’s good to see, I can’t imagine how busy you guys got around lunch time.” 

“Extremely busy,” he admitted. “But it’s good.” He glanced at her, thinking for a moment. “Hey, a few people are getting together at AC’s tomorrow after hours, just to hang out and stuff. Why don’t you come?” 

“Oh,” Chloe paused before she asked who the few people were, “I think I heard something about it.” She cocked her head at Clark, smirking a little, “you’re actually going?”

He ducked his head, still smiling, almost shyly now. “Yeah, apparently I need to meet people.” 

“I believe Mrs. Kent has a point,” she teased quietly, smiling at him. She had had a feeling about him and her sister before, but since her dream, she really wanted to see what would happen if she brought them closer together. And she wanted to see if they worked out, maybe she had a tiny chance at getting Oliver’s attention. Maybe. 

“So do you think you’ll come?” he asked, arching his eyebrows and glancing at her.

“I’ll try.” She promised, “let me check with Lois first, but I don’t think she will pass up a chance for beer.” Chloe said with a smirk. 

Clark’s eyes lit up at the mention of Lois. “Oh? Okay. I’m sure one more would be fine.” 

Chloe arched her eyebrows when his whole expression changed, she had never noticed _that_ before. “I’ll let you know,” she promised, “then you can come by the apartment and we can all walk together, so you don’t arrive alone?” She suggested. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that. You know, if you think that’s okay with Lois.” He held his breath.

“Oh, she won’t have a problem with you being there,” Chloe said confidently, grinning softly at him.

He smiled back at her, eyes bright. “Cool.” He glanced toward the front of the line. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re getting and I’ll go get it for you so you don’t have to wait?” 

“Would you?” It was her turn to brighten, “thanks, Clark. Two extra large lattes with a double shot of espresso on both and whipped cream.” She grinned. 

“Be right back.” He grinned and headed back toward the cafe.

“Thanks,” she said again, grinning then taking a deep breath. It was definitely going to be way faster that way, and while she was glad to get back to the shop so Lois wouldn’t be alone, part of her had been hoping for a little more time outside to take a better look at the crowds.

Oliver rounded the corner, heading for the cafe in hopes to get some caffeine. Rarely did he drink coffee, but right now he was tired from working at the faire all day, and he still had several hours left to go. He caught sight of Chloe at the back of the line and hesitated. She’d made it pretty clear the other night that she wanted nothing to do with him. Sighing softly, he rubbed a hand over his face and moved past the line. He’d just have to get a caffeine fix from somewhere else.

By the time Chloe noticed him, he was turning away from her, her stomach dropped and she opened her mouth to call out for him, but closed it again. She shouldn’t force him to talk to her if he was obviously avoiding her, but she didn’t know _when_ she was going to run into him again. “Oliver?” She called, but not too loudly. If he wanted too, he could pretend he hadn’t heard her and then she’d know for sure that she had to find a way to stop obsessing about the guy. A guy she barely even knew to begin with, officially anyway. 

He paused at the sound of his name being called and drew in a breath, turning to look at her. “Hey,” he said, hesitating a moment before taking a couple steps toward her. 

Her chest clenched when he looked at her, it was the first time she was seeing him in person since her dream. Since their weird goodbye. And she had no idea what to say to him now that he was there, she just remembered how he had looked at her in her dream and how it had felt to receive a look like that from him. It was also painfully obvious how different it was from the way he was looking at her now. Maybe talking to him was an even worse idea. “Hi.”

Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “How’s it going?” 

“Busy,” she said, straightening a little as she tried to control herself, “you?”

“Quiet, but also busy. If that makes sense?” He smiled, but it was faint. “You waiting on a coffee fix?” 

“It does.” She nodded, then pursed her lips together, “yeah, hm Clark went to grab us something, with the line...” she said, trying her best to think straight but she was apparently not having any luck with that. 

“Guess I missed my chance,” he joked, looking down at the ground for a moment, then back up at her. 

Chloe held her breath and shook her head, “maybe not.” She said, then realizing he was talking about the coffee still, “I mean, he might help you when he gets back.”

He paused at the slight catch in her voice. “Maybe I should wait, then.” He tried to ignore the hint of hope that crept into him, reminding himself that just a few nights before she hadn’t wanted to be seen with him.

She stared at him for a moment then nodded, “yeah, it might work out.”

Oliver took a few steps closer, moving to stand in line right behind her. “It’s chilly out,” he said softly. “Wasn’t expecting cold weather quite this soon.” 

“Me neither,” she said quietly, watching him closely, “at least it doesn’t seem to have scared people away too badly.”

“No, I don’t think it’s bothering many people,” Oliver agreed, nodding. 

“Good for us,” she said, then paused, “well, the business owners anyway, I guess you guys prefer the usual quiet.”

“It’s not so bad.” He shrugged. “It’s a nice change of pace, even if I am tired.” 

“I guess we only have a couple more hours now,” she said, glancing around, “people are getting tired and it’s getting colder.”

“And the cleanup will last at least a week.” He smiled a bit.

“I don’t even want to think about that,” she admitted, smiling a little when he did, “but at least it was a successful day.” 

Oliver nodded, gazing at her and falling silent for a moment.

Chloe stared back at him and held her breath. There wasn’t much to say, but even if there was, she couldn’t think of anything at the moment.

“Hey, um...about the other night.” He drew in a breath, looking just past her. “I really wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable or make you the talk of the town. I just...I enjoy your company.” 

She held her breath at that and nodded slightly, “I know.” She whispered, looking down then back at him, “I-- don’t know what came over me.” She admitted. 

“It’s okay,” he assured her, smiling though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I understand.”

“No,” she said firmly. He really had no idea, “I’m sorry, I think crazy Carter just got to me.”

“He gets to a lot of people,” Oliver said, exhaling slowly.

Nodding, she pursed her lips together, “I guess he is just hard for the rest of us to understand.”

“Who is?” Clark asked as he came up to them, holding out two cups of coffee for Chloe.

“Cra-- Carter.” She said, suddenly not feeling like she should refer to the man by the nickname the town had given him. She almost felt like she owed him some respect. “Thanks, Clark. You’re a lifesaver.” She said sincerely as she took the cups from him.

He smiled at her, nodding. “No problem. Want me to walk with you back to the bookstore?” he offered, arching his eyebrows.

Oliver glanced between them, his chest tightening at their easy interaction. Very unlike his own interaction with Chloe, which tended to be tense and bordering on awkward. It suddenly occurred to him that they could very well be involved. That would be a good reason for her to have pulled away when Carter approached a few nights ago, too. 

“Yeah.” Chloe told Clark without blinking, she wanted him and Lois to have more opportunities to talk and she knew she was the best way of making it happen. But when she looked at Oliver, she paused and turned to Clark again, “but I think the Officer was looking for some caffeine too, maybe you could help him out?”

“It’s okay. It’s not a big deal,” Oliver said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I should probably get back to patrol, really.” 

Clark looked a little disappointed but shook his head, “I don’t mind,” he told Oliver, “just tell me what you’d like.” 

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll see you guys later?” he asked, backing away.

Chloe frowned at that and shook her head, “are you sure?” She asked, not entirely sure why he was acting that way. 

“Yeah. Enjoy your coffee,” he said to both of them, though his eyes lingered on Chloe for a moment before he turned away, sighing to himself as his shoulders slumped a little. 

She frowned hard, turning to watch him as he walked away, her stomach suddenly tight. She wanted to call out to him but this time, she didn’t. She wasn’t sure what she had done wrong this time, or what she had said, maybe.


	6. Chapter 6

Oliver wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to be at this party at AC’s now that he was pretty sure Clark was dating Chloe. Or that he was at least _interested_ in dating her. Unfortunately for him, he liked Clark, too. The other man was a good friend. They just apparently shared a similar taste in women. It figured, really. 

His mind drifted momentarily to Dinah. He really hadn’t been that surprised when she’d told him she’d met someone else. They had never really clicked. He had been caught off guard by the fact the someone she’d met was a woman, however. But he wasn’t really sad about it. He figured it just meant what he’d already begun to suspect--he was destined to be alone. Maybe that was better anyway. 

Ignoring the pang he felt in his chest, he opened the door to AC’s and stepped inside, looking around at the small crowd. He recognized most of the people, but a couple of the women were unfamiliar. One he wasn’t sure was even old enough to be _in_ a bar. And then his eyes narrowed slightly at another familiar face. Someone he knew for sure wasn’t old enough to be in a bar. He approached his younger cousin with a look. “Mia, what do you think you’re doing here?” 

Mia stilled completely when she heard his voice and slowly turned to face him, “what are _you_ doing here?”

“I was invited,” he informed her, folding his arms across his chest. “And I thought you were at home studying for a big test?” 

“I... needed a break?” She said, inching away from the counter area.

“Uh huh.” Oliver gave her a knowing look, glancing at the blonde girl she’d been talking to. “Pretty sure she isn’t old enough to be in a bar either.” 

Mia sighed and shook her head, “Courtney and I were just hanging out, it’s not like we’re drinking or anything. Besides, we were bored and there is nothing to do in this town.”

He draped his arm around her shoulders. “There’s plenty to do. It’s just...not exciting stuff.” 

“See?” She sighed, shrugging a little, “we’re just hanging out, not like AC would serve us any alcohol anyway.” 

“True. He knows I’d have to kill him.” He smiled, glancing at her.

“No one wants that,” Mia grinned at him, “so, maybe you can pretend you didn’t see us here, Officer?” She asked hopefully. 

“Well, I don’t know about _that_ , but since I’m planning to hang out for awhile and will be here to supervise and make sure nothing illegal is going on, you’re probably okay.” 

“Thanks, Ollie!” Mia grinned brightly, “promise we won’t do anything illegal.”

He gave her a gentle squeeze and let her go. “I know you won’t.” And he meant it. Mia was a good kid, and she never caused him any actual problems. 

With a nod, she smiled up at her cousin then turned back to Courtney, dragging the other girl away from the counter and heading further into the bar.

He watched her go, smile still on his face as he shook his head, turning in time to see Clark step into the bar, followed by Chloe, and Lois. He held his breath, quickly looking away. Maybe he shouldn’t have come.

“Hey, you made it!” Clark said as the trio stopped just beside him. 

While Chloe had been hoping he would be there, since this seemed to be a town event, she hadn’t really been expecting it. Not when he couldn’t have walked away from her fast enough the day of the fair. But then, maybe he hadn’t been expecting her there at all.

“Yeah,” he answered, smiling faintly as he turned to face the trio. His gaze lingered on Chloe for a moment and he swallowed hard. 

“Hi.” She said, holding her breath then glancing over at her sister. If Lois noticed anything, she was going to be so screwed. 

“Should we all get a table?” Clark suggested.

“Yeah, I think that’s a great idea,” Lois said enthusiastically. “I’ll go order us some drinks.” She glanced at her sister, smirking faintly and then heading toward the bar. 

Clark watched Lois go then looked at Chloe, unsure. 

Chloe glanced at Oliver then hesitated before taking a deep breath, “maybe you should give her a hand?” She suggested to Clark, knowing he’d want to go talk to her sister. 

“Yeah, I probably should,” He agreed without hesitation, smiling at Oliver and then heading toward the bar, as well. 

Oliver watched the pair head away, chewing the inside of his cheek before glancing at Chloe again. 

“I should find us a table,” she said, taking a deep breath, “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but you can join us, if you want to.”

“Well, I guess I won’t be the only third wheel,” he joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

She frowned a little and glanced over at the bar, where Clark was standing awkwardly behind her sister. Maybe Oliver thought there was already something between the two of them, and in that case, Chloe felt even better at her attempt at matchmaking. Regardless, she was glad he had accepted the invite. “Definitely not,” she told him, smiling a little before starting toward the larger room where the tables were. “Have you been here long?”

“No, just got here a few minutes ago,” he told her, following her toward the other room and over to a table near the corner. This was going to be awkward. He glanced over to where Mia and her friend Courtney were, playing a game of pool and he couldn’t help but smile a bit. She looked like she was having fun, at least.

Chloe chose the chair closest to the wall and reached to remove her coat before taking a seat. She glanced in the direction Oliver was looking at, then back at him. “Even Mia is here, and Courtney,” Chloe said, surprised. 

“You know Mia?” he asked, equally surprised.

“Yeah?” Chloe said, frowning at his surprise, “I mean, we’ve never really talked but I know of her.” 

Oliver blinked a couple of times at that. “I’m not sure what you mean.” 

She stared at him for a moment then looked over at the younger girl. She didn’t remember ever meeting her before, or being told anything about her, but she knew who she was. And she knew she meant a lot to Oliver. “I’m not sure either,” she muttered, glancing at him. 

He cocked his head to the side, looking perturbed. “Right...” 

“Sorry,” she said, taking a deep breath and shaking her head, “I guess I’m still tired from the fair.” She lied.

“It’s all right,” he assured her, still a little weirded out by the idea of Chloe knowing _of_ Mia.

She offered him a small smile then paused, glancing around the room. She wondered if he and Dinah had talked at all yet, or if the other woman was still keeping him in the dark. Chloe didn’t see her there, and considering his third wheel comment, Chloe didn’t think she was there with him either, but she was afraid to ask.

“So, uh, anything new with you since the last time we talked?” he asked, returning her smile with one of his own.

“Not really,” she said sincerely, focusing on him again. Not since the last time they’d talked, anyway. “What about you?” Maybe this would be the easiest way to find out about him and Dinah.

“Yeah, actually, uh...” He hesitated a second. “Dinah and I broke up.” He shrugged a little.

“Oh.” She held her breath, not really expecting him to just tell her that so bluntly, “I’m sorry to hear that.” She tried, even though sorry wasn’t really what she was feeling. She wanted to make sure he was okay, but she was glad he knew the truth.

“It’s all right. It’s for the best. We weren’t really...clicking, I guess.” He leaned back in his chair.

Chloe relaxed a little at that, “as long as you’re okay with it, then I‘m glad.” She paused, “I mean, that you both agreed on it. That you think it’s for the best.”

Oliver drew in a breath, nodding. “I never really thought about it, but...I can see it, now. I mean, you and Clark.” 

She frowned slightly at that and shook her head, “what do you mean?” She asked, confused. 

“I mean, you guys have a lot in common.” He tried to smile but didn’t quite manage it.

“Oh,” she frowned a little and glanced toward the bar area even though she couldn’t see Clark and Lois, “I don’t know.” She had never really thought about that, she certainly didn’t feel like they did even though she was hoping him and Lois did.

“Well, you’re both good people, and you’re both smart and hardworking and you both own your own business...” His voice trailed off.

“Technically, I think Martha owns the farm and the cafe,” she told him, frowning harder, still not understanding what he was saying. “But what made you think about that?”

Oliver paused, arching his eyebrows. “You two are seeing each other, right?” 

Her eyes widened at that and Chloe shook her head, “Clark and I?” She asked, “not at all, I’m kind of hoping to set him up with Lois, actually.” She didn’t know why the idea of being romantically involved with Clark bothered her so much, but it did.

He was genuinely shocked to hear that news. He leaned forward a little, his own eyes wider than before. “Oh.” He blinked a few times, staring at her and then glancing across the bar to where Clark stood, talking to Lois. The two were standing close, and she was leaning in toward him just a little. 

“Don’t tell either of them I told you,” Chloe went on when Oliver turned to look at the pair, “I mean Lois kinda knows but I didn’t tell her I thought they’d work out in the long run, she thinks it’s more of a fling but Lois hates relationships so, it’s better to let her think that.”

He arched his eyebrows and looked back at her once more. “So you and Clark are...just friends?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded then paused, considering him for a moment, “what made you think we were...” 

“I’m not sure, really. The other night you two just seemed...” His voice trailed off and he shook his head. “It must have been my imagination.” 

“Yeah,” she said again, watching him closely. She couldn’t help but wonder if he cared, because if he did, that gave her hope.

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, his gaze shifting to her left hand. He was almost positive she wasn’t married, and she wasn’t wearing any ring, so he assumed that meant she wasn’t engaged either.

Chloe shifted uncomfortably on her chair and looked at the bar again, she had no idea what else to say to him without sounding stupid or like a stalker.

He winced when he saw her shifting on her seat, realizing he’d probably made her uncomfortable--again. Great. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “So, it’s finally getting kinda cold out.” 

Weather, great. At least that shouldn’t get awkward, “yeah. It’s nice.” She nodded a little, “feels more like fall that way.”

“Yeah, it does. I gotta admit, though, I’m not a huge fan of cold weather. I like the sunshine.” 

“You can have both,” she said, shrugging a little, “we do get sunny cold days occasionally.”

“Yeah, but I like sunshine that’s accompanied by about 75 degrees,” he joked.

“Ah,” Chloe nodded a little, “you’re definitely in the wrong place for that,” she said, smiling a little. 

“Maybe someday I’ll move someplace warmer.” He smiled, too.

Nodding slightly, she held her breath, trying to ignore how much the idea of him moving away bothered her, “have you ever been? Somewhere warmer I mean? Like California or Florida?”

“No, I haven’t really had the opportunity to travel. I’d like to, though.” He paused, his own words sounding foreign to his ears.

She frowned slightly then nodded, squinting a little, “me too.”

“What’s your ideal vacation spot?” 

Chloe paused a little, considering him for a moment, “I’m not sure.” She admitted, frowning, “I mean, I guess I’d like to go to Ireland? I... read about it a lot.”

He cocked his head, studying her, a little startled by her response. Somehow that was the response he’d been expecting from her.

She frowned a little at the look he was giving her, “what?” She asked, even though she felt like something was off too.

“This is gonna sound weird, but...I thought that was going to be your answer,” he confessed.

Chloe stared at him for a moment, “because... you feel like you know me, even though we only really talked a handful of times?” She asked, her heart suddenly beating fast. 

Oliver held his breath at that, staring at her intently. “Is that how you feel, too?” 

“Yeah,” she breathed, nodding a little and holding his gaze. 

He swallowed hard, nodding, too. “I feel...drawn to you,” he admitted quietly. “I don’t really understand why.” 

Her eyes widened a little at that. Chloe looked down and nodded a little even as she tried to ignore the mental images from her dream rushing back to her, “me too.” She murmured, looking at him once again. 

He met her eyes, holding her gaze. “Has this ever happened to you before?” 

“Not like this.” She admitted, “but... I feel in very specific ways toward a lot of people here, and I can’t explain why.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek. “I don’t...feel it toward anyone else,” he said softly, looking down at the table. “Just you.” 

“I mean, it’s different.” She said quickly, sitting up and setting her arms on the table. “I just... feel like I know everyone, but I don’t remember how.”

He was quiet for a moment, looking over at her again. “Like Mia?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She admitted, “and well, even Clark. I feel like he’s one of my best friends, like he’s almost like a brother to me. But... I don’t remember knowing him for very long.”

“Do you think other people feel the same way?” He frowned a little.

“Lois does.” She said quietly, “she feels like you two are good friends.”

Oliver glanced over to where Lois and Clark were still standing at the bar, clearly flirting. “Really?” There was a hint of surprise in his voice. He knew the woman liked to tease him and give him a hard time whenever she had the chance, but he hadn’t given her much thought beyond that.

“You don’t feel like you know her?” Chloe asked, frowning a little. 

“No, not really,” he said softly. “But...I’ve barely talked to her.” He drew in a breath, reaching up and rubbing at his left temple absently.

“Maybe it doesn’t mean anything.” Chloe said, mostly trying to give him an out, because she really didn’t believe that, but she didn’t want to scare him either.

“Maybe,” he echoed, pursing his lips.

With a deep breath, she nodded a little and looked down. She should feel better that he felt connected to her too, but until she knew what it meant, she couldn’t bring herself to.

“Maybe we both just have really good imaginations,” he suggested, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Chloe smiled slightly at that and nodded but didn’t say anything. Somehow, she didn’t think so. Especially not when she knew Lois felt the same way about some people. Maybe some of them just felt it more than others. 

“So, what do we do now?” he asked, gazing at her again.

She frowned a little at the question but chose not to assume, “what do you mean?”

“I mean, if we’re both feeling this...there has to be a reason, right?” He chewed the inside of his cheek again.

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded a little. “Maybe.” She agreed carefully. “I don’t know what it could be.”

“Me either.” He watched her for a moment, considering. “Maybe there’s nothing we really can do.” 

She frowned slightly at that, feeling unsettled by his response, “do you really believe that?”

Oliver wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so anxious. “I don’t know.” His head was starting to throb.

Chloe didn’t like the look on his face anymore than she liked his answer. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I think I’m just...getting a migraine,” he murmured, rubbing his temple again. 

“Maybe you should get some rest?” She suggested, watching him closely.

He drew in a breath, nodding a little and reluctantly standing up. “You have a way home?” 

“I’m walking back.” She said quietly, standing up too, “are you sure you’ll be okay getting back on your own?”

“Yeah, I’ll be all right. You’re not walking back alone, right? You’ll be with Lois or Clark?” There was a hint of worry in his voice, and the anxiety was now reflected in his eyes.

“That’s the plan,” she told him, glancing at the other two by the bar, now noticing that Lois’ drink was nearly empty already.

“Okay, good. Get home safe,” he said softly, backing away from her and then turning and heading for the door.

“You too.” She called after him, watching him as he left. Her stomach was suddenly in knots and she felt incredibly anxious, like something bad was going to happen. Or maybe it already had.


	7. Chapter 7

It was getting darker much earlier already, as the days went by and the colder it got, the sooner the sun would set. So by the time they closed the store, it was already completely dark out. Lois had left early to go pick them dinner at the cafe, but if Chloe had to guess, she was going there to see Clark. Not that much had happened between the two of them at the party, but they had certainly clicked. So much that Chloe had just walked home by herself that night and had left them there to chat. 

And that had also been the last time she had seen Oliver. They had both admitted to the other that they felt some strange pull, but then... he had pretty much just left and she couldn’t help but wonder if he thought she was crazy or something. 

Speaking of crazy, just as she turned the corner toward her and Lois’ apartment, there was Crazy Carter. She hadn’t seen _him_ since that night he had yelled at her and Oliver and that memory alone made her anxious to get past him and away. Even if part of her was telling her she shouldn’t be afraid of him. 

“You.” Carter spotted her almost instantly, and approached her immediately. “Was it you? Or him?” 

Chloe stilled, her eyes widening a little, “I haven’t done anything.” She told him, taking a step back when he came closer to her.

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes full of suspicion. “No, of course it wasn’t you. You’re smarter than him. Always have been. One extreme to the other, that one,” he grumbled.

She frowned at that and shook her head, “who is the he you’re talking about?” She asked, curiosity overwriting her desire to get away from the man.

“Mr. Green Jeans,” he answered gruffly. “Oliver Queen.” 

“Green Jeans?” Chloe echoed, frowning harder, “what about him? What did he do?” Or what did Carter think Oliver did, anyway?

“He had to have made some kind of wish. Altered our reality somehow.” He took a step closer to her. “Try to remember, Chloe.” 

“Altered reality?” She asked, her eyes widening more as she shook her head, “how could Oliver alter realities?”

“ _Oliver_ couldn’t. Not without help, anyway.” His jaw was tight. “I’m not supposed to be here. You’re definitely not supposed to be here.” 

Her chest tightened at that, she certainly didn’t feel like she belonged there, but alternate realities, wishes, none of that made sense. And considering the man who was telling her about this... “where am I supposed to be?”

“Not here,” he insisted. “This isn’t your time, it isn’t your place. What the hell did that jackass do...” He muttered, shaking his head and starting to move past her.

“Carter, wait.” She called, turning toward the man and holding her breath, “where is my place? Or time... What happened?”

He turned to look at her again. “Metropolis, Kansas. Not Metropolis, Illinois. As for what happened...Oliver and whoever helped him create this reality may be the only ones who can answer that.” 

Metropolis, Kansas. Her heart sank. She knew for a fact that there wasn’t a town called Metropolis in Kansas. She shouldn’t listen to what he was saying, his nickname existed for a reason. “I will ask him about it.” She lied.

“He won’t remember. He probably has no idea what he’s done. Or how. But you...” He moved toward her again. “You could figure this out. You could change things back to how they’re supposed to be. Make him remember.” 

She could barely make it through five minutes of conversation with Oliver, how was she supposed to figure something that involved him out? If she was Carter’s only hope, he was going to be incredibly disappointed. But she didn’t have the heart to tell him that. “I will try.” 

“Try hard,” he said firmly, staring at her. “All of our lives depend on it.” 

Holding her breath, all she was able to do was nod. 

He nodded, too. “You’re the only one who’ll be able to get through to him.” His voice was quiet, serious.

If only he knew how wrong he was. “I will do the best that I can.”

Carter stared at her a moment later, then turned and headed away without looking back. 

Chloe took a deep breath and watched him go before starting back toward her apartment, an uneasy feeling in her stomach and she was feeling anxious again. Maybe she should see a therapist instead of believing in conspiracy theories. 

A few feet away, Lionel Luthor moved away from the wall he’d been leaning against, watching her go. Well. That had been very enlightening, indeed.

* * * 

Oliver carried a bag of food from The Daily Bean to the door of the apartment building where he knew Chloe lived. He knew she was there because he’d run into her sister, who’d begged him to take her some food since Lois was helping Mrs. Kent at the cafe and was going to be stuck there for awhile. Then she’d hugged him when he agreed. He’d felt a flash of familiarity that he hadn’t felt about the brunette before, and on top of the conversation he’d had with Chloe awhile back, he was a little weirded out by all of it. 

But he reached out and knocked on the apartment door, chewing the inside of his cheek.

She hadn’t been home long and since the second she set foot in their apartment, she’d been looking at the list of people she and her sister had made. At the knock, she was pretty sure it was Lois, she often didn’t want to bother with searching for her keys in her purse. 

With a deep breath, Chloe headed for the door and pulled it open, “you know, I could have been--” She stilled when she saw Oliver, not her sister there. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he said quietly, hesitating. “I ran into Lois.” He held up the bag he was carrying.

“Oh.” She said even though it still made no sense. She glanced at the bag then at him, “come in.” She invited as she stepped to the side. 

Oliver drew in a breath and stepped into the apartment, glancing around, his gaze going immediately to the picture frames on the fireplace. “She was helping Mrs. Kent with something,” he told her, glancing at her. “She asked me to bring you dinner since she didn’t know when she’d be home.” 

“Oh.” Chloe repeated, this time making sense of what he meant and the bag he was carrying and wincing a moment later, “I’m sorry she made you do that.” She said as she took the bag from him, “she could have called me, I would have gone by.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” he told her sincerely. “I was just heading home anyway, so mine’s in the bag, too.” 

She paused at that and nodded a little, “I hope she at least paid for yours for the trouble.” Chloe told him as she reached to open the bag. 

Oliver gave her a look. “You live like a block from me. It wasn’t any trouble, Chloe. Really.” 

“Still, I appreciate it.” She told him sincerely, smiling slightly as she glanced at him. She was still feeling unsettled from her meeting with Carter and seeing Oliver wasn’t helping.

“You’re welcome.” He couldn’t help but smile back at her. He glanced from her to the bag, hesitating a second, then looking back around her apartment. “You have a nice place.” It felt warm. Comfortable.

“Thanks,” she winced when she saw all of the clothes she’d removed when she got home laying on top of the couch. She was going to have to kill her sister, “sorry about the mess.”

He smiled faintly as he followed her gaze. “It’s not a problem. It’s how you know a place is lived in, right?” 

“There is lived in and there is ‘oh here are the boots I haven’t seen since last winter because they were hidden under a pile of accumulating clean laundry’.” She pointed out, arching her eyebrows.

He chuckled softly, looking down at the floor. “It’s not that bad. I promise.” 

“It’s been worse,” Chloe admitted, smiling a little, “do you hm, want to eat?” She asked, “I mean, if you don’t have to go.”

Oliver paused at that, holding his breath for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.” 

“Okay,” she nodded a little, taking a deep breath then walking over the table to clear out the papers she had been going over.

He slowly followed her into the dining room area. “Need me to do anything?” he offered. 

Chloe hesitated and glanced toward the kitchen, she could ask him to grab the glasses and soda but considering the pile of dishes she still had there, “not really, I got it.”

“Are you sure? I’m good at finding my way around kitchens.” He looked at her.

“Poking around our kitchen would probably be very dangerous.” She told him with a raise of her eyebrows as she set the paper on a chair.

“Good thing I’m a cop?” he teased.

Chloe paused and smirked a little, “I got it, what do you want to drink? We have... soda, water, coffee, milk? No tea though, sorry.”

“Water’s fine,” he told her with an amused smile. 

“Be right back.” She said before disappearing into the kitchen.

He watched her go, then sat down at the table, setting their food out and opening his plastic silverware. 

She came back with their glasses and set them on the table, “do you need a plate? Or real silverware?” She asked, smirking a little at the plastic knife in his hand.

“No, this is fine,” he assured her, waiting until she’d sat down to take a sip of his water. “Thank you.” 

“Okay,” she smiled a little and pulled her container toward her. 

“Lois ordered for you.” He watched her for a moment, then took a bite of his meatloaf. 

Chloe opened her container too and looked over at it then smirked, “guess it’s meatloaf night.” She told him, sticking her fork on it and taking a bite.

“Fortunately Mrs. Kent makes a good meatloaf.” 

“The best I’ve ever had.” She admitted, sipping on her soda.

Oliver looked over at her, a soft smile on his face. He took another bite of food and swallowed it down with a drink of water. 

She watched him eat for a moment then took a deep breath. “Did you see Clark at the cafe when you went?”

“No,” he said, arching his eyebrows. “Which kinda surprised me.” 

“Me too,” she said, frowning a little, “I figured that was why Lois was still there.”

“I think Mrs. Kent just needed the help.” He glanced at her again.

“I guess that makes sense too, if Clark wasn’t there.” She said, smiling a little.

Oliver nodded, watching her for a moment before ducking his head again. He couldn’t seem to stop staring at her.

Chloe frowned once more and watched him for a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had already made him uncomfortable somehow. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” he assured her quickly. He looked over at her again, meeting her eyes. “I uh--I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the other night.” His voice was quiet.

Her heart skipped a beat and she looked at him for a moment then down, “did I scare you with my crazy talk?”

“No,” Oliver said immediately, shaking his head. “No, you didn’t scare me.” 

She watched him closely for a long moment and even though she wanted to ask what he had been thinking about, she couldn’t bring herself to. “Okay.” 

He gazed at her intently. “Are you scared?” 

Chloe stared at him for a moment then looked down and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t,” she whispered. “But I ran into Carter again.”

Oliver held his breath at that. “What did he say?” 

“He said I wasn’t supposed to be here.” Chloe paused, not sure if she should bring up what the man said about Oliver or not. “He said none of us were.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What does that even mean?” 

“I don’t know, he was talking about an alternate reality. We all know he doesn’t usually make much sense but with everything I’ve been thinking about...” She trailed off, pursing her lips together. She definitely wanted to see how he felt about this before telling him more. 

He blinked a couple of times, cocking his head to the side. “Alternate reality,” he echoed, sitting back in his chair.

“Yeah,” she breathed. “I know how it sounds.”

“Do you believe him?” He gazed at her intently.

“No?” She hesitated then shook her head, feeling guilty about lying to him almost instantly. “I mean, I don’t know. It obviously sounds crazy...”

“It sounds a little out there, but...” He trailed off, considering his words for a moment. “I don’t know.” 

Holding her breath, she sat up on her chair, her food long forgotten. “You think it’s possible?”

“I try to keep an open mind,” he told her, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

“It just sounds so... incredible,” she said quietly, feeling a little overwhelmed. 

“Yeah, it does,” he agreed, drawing in a breath. “And I have no idea how we’d go about figuring anything out about it. But there’s that whole...” He waved his hand, indicating the space between them. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, smiling a little at that. It was good to know he was thinking about _that_. “So what do you think we should do about it?”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Oliver said quietly, holding her gaze.

She pursed her lips and looked down, “he said I should talk to you. That I had to, to fix things.” 

“Fix things,” he repeated, frowning. 

“I don’t know,” she told him as she stood up, unable to sit down any longer. “He said we were supposed to be in Metropolis, Kansas not Metropolis, Illinois. I looked it up, there is no Metropolis in Kansas.”

He frowned. “That’s really strange. But I mean, if it’s supposed to be an alternate reality I guess it makes some sense.” 

Chloe considered him for a moment then nodded, “it does. But how would this happen? How could we possibly be from a completely different reality and be here all of the sudden? That is science fiction, it happened in books and movies, not in real life.”

“I have no idea,” he confessed. “But...I don’t know, maybe a lot of things are possible that we just don’t understand.” 

“I guess there is a lot we don’t understand here, too.” She sighed softly. 

“I think that’s just life,” he said softly.

“Not like this,” Chloe told him. “I mean, Lois and I can’t really remember our childhoods, our parents... That isn’t normal.”

“No, I suppose it isn’t.” He took a drink of water and set the glass down once more. “Which kinda lends more credence to Carter’s theory, doesn’t it?” 

“I guess it does,” she admitted, sighing softly and sitting back down. “Which brings us back to the initial question: What do we do about it? Should we just try and talk to him?”

“It may be the only thing we can do,” he said, frowning. “Unless you have other ideas.” 

“Not really,” she hesitated, frowning. “But it might be a better idea if I talk to him before you do.”

“Yeah, I don’t think he likes me very much,” Oliver said with a half-smile.

She leaned her elbows on the table and watched him for a moment. “He seems to think you’re responsible for whatever happened,” Chloe told him carefully. “At first he didn’t seem sure if it was you or me, but then he seemed to focus on you.”

He cocked his head at that, blinking a few times. “He does?” He frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I could have possibly done to cause us to be thrown into an alternate reality. How would I possibly have that kind of power?” 

Chloe’s stomach clenched when she remembered her dream. She had been able to block it out for a few days but maybe their wedding had something to do with this? With a deep breath, she shook her head and tried to focus. She wasn’t going to think about that, she shouldn’t start thinking that the wedding had happened at all. “I don’t know, he said something about making a wish. I think even if we do listen to him, we should be careful with what we believe.”

“Yeah, he’s still not the most trustworthy of people,” he murmured, sounding thoughtful. “But clearly he has more of an idea about this stuff than we do.” Even if it turned out it was all science fiction. 

“Exactly,” she agreed. “Is there anything you could think of that would make you wish for a change like this?” She tried. “Assuming Carter is right, even though I think he was exaggerating.” 

“I honestly have no idea what it would be. I mean, it would have had to be something pretty terrible for me to make some kind of wish that sent us into a different universe.” 

“Yeah,” Chloe said quietly, sighing thoughtfully then pausing. “Why would it affect all of us, though? Or at least a lot of us.”

“I guess if you were all part of my life and I was the one who made a wish...” His voice trailed off.

That made her pause. A lot of the people from her dream were there, Lois, Clark, even Dr. Emil. It is possible that she had dreamed about them _because_ she knew them in real life, but what if she knew them from before this place?

“What is it?” Oliver asked, gazing at her. 

“Nothing,” she lied almost instantly with a shake of her head. “I was just... thinking.”

He studied her for a moment, then nodded, letting it go. It wasn’t like he had any right to demand she tell him what she was thinking about. Despite whatever was going on, they still barely knew each other. He pushed his meatloaf around on his plate silently. 

“Do you mind if I tell Lois?” She asked after a moment. 

“No, go ahead. Maybe she can help figure it out.” 

“She might,” she agreed with a nod then looked back down at her food and sighed softly. 

He hesitated a second, then reached across the table, covering her hand with his own. “It’s going to be okay.” 

Chloe held her breath, surprised by how warm his hand felt. She looked down at their hands for a moment then lifted her eyes to his face. “Thank you,” she said quietly even as her heart started beating faster against her chest.

He looked down at their hands, too, his chest tightening. Deja vu swept over him. _”You saved my life, Chloe. Both the myth, and the man.”_ He blinked a few times, looking up at her and holding his breath.

She frowned at the look on his face. “What is it?” She asked even as she held her own breath.

“I just had the weirdest...” He shook his head, squinting a little. “I don’t know, flash or something.” 

Chloe sat up, maybe he had seen what she had in her dream. “What was it?”

“Us. We were sitting at a table. Outside somewhere,” he murmured. “I reached over and grabbed your hand. And...I thanked you for saving my life.” He stared at her.

“Oh.” Her face fell so she looked down at their hands once more. “I definitely don’t remember doing that.”

His grip on her hand tightened ever-so-slightly, but only for a moment. “I probably haven’t gotten enough sleep,” he murmured.

“Or maybe it’s a memory,” she said quietly, glancing at him once more.

He held his breath once more. “It felt familiar.” 

Pursing her lips together, Chloe nodded slightly. “Maybe we should... spend more time together, see if we can remember something?” She suggested carefully. 

His thumb brushed over her knuckles. “I’m definitely not opposed,” he whispered.

She looked down at their hands, the gesture was painfully familiar. “It’s a start,” she murmured, holding his gaze again.


	8. Chapter 8

A few days later found Oliver grabbing a cup of hot tea from The Daily Bean, and running into a familiar red-head just outside. He almost spilled his drink on her. “Oh, sorry, Tess.” He offered her a smile.

“Oliver, hi,” she greeted with a smile. “Haven’t seen you in awhile.”

“Hi. How are you?” he asked, arching his eyebrows.

“Doing well, heading for coffee too. You?” She asked.

“I recommend the tea,” he told her.

“Maybe at night,” she said with a smile. “How have you been?”

“Can’t complain. What have you been up to?” he questioned.

“You know, the usual,” Tess smiled. “We should see each other more, you can tell me all about what has been happening in Metropolis.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Not a lot, really. Metropolis is kind of dull most of the time.” 

“And here I thought you being a cop would mean you had a more exciting life than the rest of us,” she teased.

“Afraid not,” he said with a genuine smile. “But sometimes exciting is overrated.” 

Tess paused at that and cocked her head. “Weird, I expected something more adventurous from you.”

He paused, too. “Really? Because I’m a cop?” 

“Probably,” Tess said with a nod.

He guessed that made sense. “Sorry to let you down,” he said lightly. 

“I think I will live.” She smirked and rolled her eyes. “I am serious about seeing more of you, though.”

Oliver gazed at her for a moment, and nodded. “Yeah, we should hang out sometime.” 

“Great!” She smiled at him. “You know where to find me,” she said before heading into the coffee shop.

He watched her go, chewing the inside of his cheek and then heading away. He was planning to swing by the bookstore before heading to work. He’d seen Chloe just the day before, but he wanted to see her again, now more than before, and he wasn’t sure why. 

* * * 

Even as Chloe dusted the bookstore’s shelves she kept her eyes on the street outside. She was trying to find Carter since that night after her talk with Ollie, but she hadn’t seen the man since. They still had to talk to him about... whatever he thought was going on. 

Of course, the fact that it was Wednesday and as far as she knew, the day Oliver usually had off, had her looking out the window even more than usual, in case he walked by too. 

A couple moments later the little bell above the door jingled as the door opened. Oliver stepped inside, glancing around until his gaze rested on her. His features softened and he smiled a little. “Hi.” 

Chloe held her breath when she saw him but smiled instantly. “Hi,” she greeted, duster still in hand as she stepped away from the shelf.

He moved over to the counter and set down the cup of coffee he’d gotten for her. “How was your night?” 

“Not.. bad,” she said, glancing at the cup but deciding against assuming anything. “Yours?”

“Quiet,” he told her, leaning his elbows on the counter and glancing at the cup, too. “It’s for you.” 

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, smiling at him as she set her duster on the counter. Somehow, it felt a lot more like he was giving her a gift and not just coffee.

“I wanted to. I woke up thinking about you this morning,” he admitted with a small smile.

Chloe held her breath at that. She always seemed to be doing that when he was around. “About what?” She asked as she reached for the cup. 

“Just in general,” he told her, meeting her eyes and watching as she took a sip of the coffee, smiling involuntarily as she closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.

Her cheeks felt warm when she realized he was watching her. “I keep thinking of you too,” she admitted, not sure why telling him that made her as nervous as it did. 

His smile brightened at her admission. “I think this means we need to do something about this situation.” 

Arching her eyebrows, she leaned sideways against the counter and held his gaze. “What do you suggest?”

“I was thinking about dinner and a movie,” he said, holding her gaze.

“As in, a date?” She asked, her heart already beating faster.

He held his breath, then nodded slowly. “Yeah. A date.” 

Chloe nodded slowly, smiling nervously. “I think that’s a good place to start.”

“Tonight?” he asked hopefully. “Or is that too soon?” 

“Tonight works.” She grinned. “We close at 8, but... I might be able to get Lois to close.”

“If not, 8 is okay with me,” he assured her, grinning back. He was just glad she had agreed so easily.

“Well, I’d rather have time to get ready,” she admitted, smiling then shrugging. “But I’m sure I can work something out.”

“Whatever time works for you. I’m flexible,” he answered, watching her.

“I’ll let you know after I talk with Lois?” She suggested, hoping her sister hadn’t made plans with Clark already, or Mrs. Kent. She seemed to be spending a lot of time with both of them lately.

“Yeah, no problem.” He reached out and picked up a small piece of paper and a pen, jotting down his phone number on the paper. 

“You’re not working today?” She asked as she watched him. It was weird to think she kept remembering that dream about them being married when she didn’t even have his number until now. And maybe she should tell him about it, but something like that would definitely scare most guys away. It’d probably scare _her_ away.

“No, I actually have the day off.” And he had no plans, although lingering around the bookstore was sounding better every moment. Still, he didn’t want to seem like a stalker or anything.

“Any plans to fix things today?” She asked, smiling softly as she reached for the coffee he had brought her again.

“I think the house is okay now actually. Do you have anything around here that needs work?” 

Chloe paused at the question and looked around, wishing she could think of something for him to do. “I... don’t think so,” she admitted when she wasn’t able to think of anything. 

“Had to try.” He smiled faintly, shrugging.

Her stomach knotted and she pursed her lips together. “You’re welcome to read something, if you don’t have anywhere to be?” She offered, although she was really hoping he’d just hang out to hang out.

“You wouldn’t mind?” he asked, arching his eyebrows. 

“Not at all,” she smiled. “It’ll be nice to have company since Lois might not show up for another four hours or so.”

He chuckled softly at that. “Fair enough. I’ll keep you company then.” He shrugged out of his jacket, setting it down at the nearest table.

“I appreciate it,” Chloe said with a grin. “I will probably join you, we did inventory on Monday so I don’t really have work.”

“Cool.” He grinned back at her, eyes bright.

She smiled back at him then picked up her coffee and moved to take a seat by the table he had placed his jacket over. “Have you seen Carter lately?” She asked.

He held his breath at that, shaking his head. “No. Have you?” 

“Not since he talked to me,” she said with a frown. “I guess he’s not always around but, I usually see him more often than this.”

Oliver frowned, too. “You sound worried.”

“It’s just... weird?” She tried then shook her head. “I don’t know, maybe I’m just obsessing.”

“Maybe I should go by his place, check on him.” 

“I don’t even know where he lives,” she admitted. “But if you do, it might not be a bad idea? Although... maybe I should come with you.”

He arched his eyebrows. “You don’t think he’d be happy to see me,” he guessed.

“Yeah,” she said with a wince. “Like I said, he seems to think you caused whatever happened and I don’t know if seeing you might set him off.”

“Well, either we can go check on him after Lois comes in for the day, or I can call the station and have them send an officer over for a wellness check.” 

“We can go when she gets here,” she agreed. “I would hate to make a big deal out of it just because I have a bad feeling.”

Oliver nodded slightly, agreeing that was probably the best option. “True, but you should always trust your gut.” 

“Lucky for me, I happen to know an officer that can help me make sure it’s safe for me to follow it.” She smiled softly. 

His expression brightened at that. “Yes, you do,” he agreed.

Chloe smiled, watching him for a moment then taking a deep breath. “Thank you for not thinking I’m crazy,” she said sincerely. Maybe if he kept this up, she’d eventually tell him about her dream.

“You’re welcome.” He met her eyes, holding her gaze.

* * * 

Lois got there a little after eleven, she had made a couple of comments about Oliver being there, but when Chloe told her sister they wanted to check on Carter and told her why, Lois all but shoved them out the door and told them to take their time. 

“She’s not usually that bad,” Chloe promised, sliding her cellphone into her coat’s pocket as they walked away from the bookstore. 

He smiled faintly at that, opening the passenger door of his car for her. “She kinda reminds me of an older version of Mia,” he admitted.

Chloe cocked her head at that, looking at him for a moment. “I don’t know Mia, or... not in this reality?” She tried, frowning. “Just know of her.” 

He nodded. “Maybe you can meet her soon,” he said softly, glancing at her sideways and then moving to get in the driver’s seat of the car. He slid behind the wheel.

She took the passenger’s side then turned to look at him once they were both settled. “Yeah, if she’s like Lois, she should be fun.” If a handful. 

He smirked at that, starting the engine and pulling his car onto the road. “He doesn’t live too far from here.” Not that anything in the town was too far from anything else in the town, really. They could’ve walked, but it was threatening snow and he hated the cold.

“Have you had to go to his house before because of work?” She asked, frowning slightly.

“I’ve made sure he’s made it home a couple times,” he told her with a faint smile, glancing at her sideways again. “When he had a little too much.” 

Chloe made a face at that and nodded. “I’ve heard rumors. Although, if what he is saying is true? I can’t blame him for needing a drink.”

Oliver fell silent at that, gazing intently ahead at the road. “Yeah,” he murmured, thinking of what else she said he’d said. That this was somehow _his_ fault. That he’d done something to alter all of their lives.

She watched him for a moment, frowning slightly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he told her, chewing the inside of his cheek. 

Pursing her lips together, she nodded a little and adjusted on the seat. She really hoped Carter was okay because if he wasn’t, she’d feel incredibly guilty for not listening to them before. 

They arrived at his place a few moments later, and Oliver parked the car in the driveway, shutting off the engine. “Ready?” 

“Oh, I didn’t realize it was so close,” she told him, glancing at the house then back at Oliver and nodding. At least nothing looked out of the ordinary. 

He nodded a little, too, then climbed out of the car, pocketing his keys. He met her at the front of the car, resting his hand lightly at the small of her back without thinking about it.

She didn’t really notice for a moment either, but when she did, it wasn’t because it was bothering her but because of how familiar it felt. With a deep breath, she tried to push away the butterflies in her stomach as they headed toward the front door. She looked up at him, hesitating before knocking. 

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. Carter might be a drunk, but they’d never had any violent incidents with him reported, and he wasn’t worried that he would hurt them. He just hoped the older man was okay. 

Chloe frowned a little when she heard something inside but no one came to the door. “Someone seems to be in there,” she said quietly, tensing slightly. It wasn’t like the town had a high crime rate. She was pretty sure it didn’t have a crime rate at all, but something felt off still.

He moved away from her a little, peering into the front window as best as he could, but it was hard to see anything because the blinds were mostly closed. “I don’t know. I don’t see any movement,” he murmured. 

“I was sure I heard something.” She frowned, looking over at him then stepping closer to the window on the opposite site of the door and tried to look inside. 

“Maybe he has a cat or a dog or something,” he said, frowning, too.

“I guess it could be,” she murmured, still trying to look inside and then she stilled. She felt more than saw movement behind her. She caught a flash of Carter running straight toward Oliver like a bull. Then tackling him. Except they didn’t hit the ground. They hit one of the windows and disappeared inside the house. 

Oliver didn’t even have a chance to react before he was being tackled through the window. He winced as the glass cut into his skin, but he quickly shut his eyes, hoping none of the glass would stick there, at least. He hit the ground hard with Carter’s full weight atop him, knocking the wind from his lungs. 

“Oliver?” Chloe called urgently, trying the door with no success then rushing toward the now broken window. 

“I should just kill you and maybe your stupidity would be reversed!” Carter said as he moved to stand up, holding up a fist like he was about to punch Oliver’s face.

Oliver rolled away, grimacing at the biting sting from the glass shards in his side. “Stay outside,” he warned Chloe, eyeing Carter with a dazed expression.

“You’re bleeding,” she told him, her eyes widening even as she reached for the lock on the window and pushed the frame part of it up. “Don’t hurt him!” She told Carter. “I thought you wanted to help us,” Chloe said firmly, pushing herself up and jumping over the window and into the house without a second thought. 

Oliver moved closer to Carter, holding his hands up. Mostly he wanted to keep himself between the crazed man and Chloe. “Sit down,” he suggested, motioning to the sofa. He didn’t want to hurt the other man, but he might not have a choice.

Carter glared at Oliver, then glanced at Chloe and crossed his arms over his chest without moving. “I’m not going to hurt her, you idiot,” he told Oliver. “You do a good enough job at that.” 

Chloe’s stomach tightened at that and she looked between the two of them with a frown. Somehow, she had a hard time believing Oliver would ever hurt her. At least intentionally. 

Oliver was equally confused. “I’ve never hurt her,” he told Carter evenly. “Now sit down.” 

“You’re the one with the head injury.” 

“You _are_ bleeding,” Chloe repeated, holding her breath as she took a step toward Oliver. 

His jaw tightened and he was beginning to lose his patience with the other man. He glanced at Chloe for a second. “I’m fine,” he told her, then turned his attention to Carter once more. “You realize I could haul your ass to jail for assaulting a police officer, right?” 

“You’re not a police officer, green jeans,” Carter said condescendingly then his expression became angrier. “Have you found a way to revert this yet?”

“Green jeans?” he echoed, shaking his head. 

“We don’t know what we’re supposed to revert,” Chloe said sincerely then glanced at Oliver, her jaw tightening when she saw the blood on his temple. “I thought you were supposed to help us, that’s why I asked Oliver to come here with me, but apparently you just wanted an excuse to attack him for doing something he doesn’t _remember_ doing.” 

“Doesn’t matter if he remembers or not, it’s his fault we’re stuck here. This isn’t where we’re supposed to be, Blondie.” He glared at her and then turned his attention back to Oliver. 

“You already told me that.” She glared back at him. “And I told Oliver what you told me the other night but _we don’t know how we’re supposed to get back where we belong_ ,” she said angrily then took a deep breath. “Let’s just go, Oliver, he’s obviously not in the mood to help.” She didn’t know what came over her, but at that moment, she didn’t feel at all intimidated by Carter like she usually would and honestly, she just wanted to take Oliver out of there and make sure he was okay. 

Oliver drew in a breath and looked toward the door. “We’re going to go out the right way,” he informed Carter. 

“Wait,” he said, sounding annoyed. “Neither of you remember anything? Nothing at all?” 

Chloe glanced over at Oliver then shook her head. “No.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie, she didn’t know if that dream was real or not. “And considering what everyone else says about you around town, we’re not sure we believe you either.”

“So you don’t remember being in love?” He took a step toward them, making Oliver tense beside her. 

Oliver stared at him for a long moment, his chest tightening. He looked at Chloe sideways, then back at the other man, jaw tight.

Her stomach turned at the words and she couldn’t bring herself to look at Oliver. “We’re leaving,” she told Carter then started toward the door.

“He was taken,” he said, staring at her. “You don’t remember?” 

“Who was taken?” She asked even though she knew he meant Oliver, somehow. “Where?”

“By the Suicide Squad.” 

Oliver made a face. “Never heard of the Suicide Squad,” he said dismissively, shaking his head.

She didn’t know what it meant either, but the name made her nervous. “We don’t know what is happening,” she told Carter. “And unless you can somehow bring our memories back, we can’t do anything about it.” 

“The only one who can do anything about it is him.” He jutted his chin out toward Oliver. 

“I don’t know how,” he said firmly. 

“You’re too grounded in this reality. This isn’t your life. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be!” 

“That doesn’t help us!” Chloe pointed out, losing her patience with the older man. “So unless you can actually say something helpful, we’re leaving.” Mostly because Oliver was _still_ bleeding. 

“I can’t do it for him,” Carter responded, annoyed. “Just get out.” 

Chloe glared at him and shook her head, then reached for Oliver’s wrist without thinking about it and pulled him toward the door. 

Oliver followed her without hesitation, glancing back at Carter momentarily, and trying to figure out why the whole situation felt so familiar.

Once they were outside, Chloe turned to face him, a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?” She asked, looking at the cut near his temple.

“I’m okay,” he assured her, reaching up and touching his head, wincing as his fingers came away bloody.

“You’re not,” she told him, making a face. “We’re not far from my apartment, why don’t I drive us there so we can at least clean that up?”

“I won’t protest,” he said quietly, reaching into his pocket and handing her the keys to his car.

“Thank you,” she said just as quietly then took the keys from him and unlocked his car. She definitely felt guilty about bringing him to Carter’s even though she knew it was going to be a bad idea, but at least he was letting her make sure he was okay.


	9. Chapter 9

The drive to her apartment was very short and while she was glad to see he didn’t seem to be bleeding even more by the time they made it upstairs. “Have a seat,” she offered, pointing at the couch. “I’ll go find our first aid kit.”

He moved over to sit down on the couch, hoping he didn’t get blood on it. He exhaled slowly, a wave of tiredness washing over him. 

Chloe came back a moment later and set the first aid kit on the coffee table before holding up a wet towel. “Let me see if I can clean up first, you have a couple of cuts on your face.”

Nodding, he looked up at her, holding his breath as she moved closer to him. The closeness was familiar for reasons he didn’t understand, and he had the overwhelming urge to reach out and put his hands on her hips and pull her closer.

She hesitated, staring at him for a moment before gently pressing the towel to the bigger cut near his hairline. “Does it hurt?” She asked him quietly, even as she tried to ignore how fast her heart was beating.

“No,” he said automatically, meeting her eyes.

Chloe stared back at him feeling, not for the first time, the urge to lean in and press her lips to his. But she shouldn’t try to rush things, no matter how familiar everything felt. Especially not when they still didn’t know _why_ things felt familiar. Her stomach tightened as she remembered what Carter asked them, if they didn’t remember being in love and she looked away from Oliver quickly, focusing on the cuts once more.

“The whole thing was...familiar,” he murmured, dropping his gaze and realizing he was now staring directly at her cleavage. He averted his eyes, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“What was?” She asked, surprised by his words and although she glanced at him, she looked back at the top of his head quickly, brushing his hair away carefully then pressing the towel down.

“Being thrown through the window. It felt familiar,” he admitted. “Ow.” 

She winced and pulled her hand back, frowning down at him. “Did that hurt?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, shrugging.

“Sorry,” she said, frowning more as she stared at him, cocking her head. “This feels really familiar too. Almost like a deja vu.” 

“Yes, it does.” He looked up at her once more, also frowning. 

“Maybe it has happened before,” she whispered so quietly, he wouldn’t have heard her if they had been further apart. 

Oliver held his breath again, not looking away from her. Hesitantly, he rose to his feet, still holding her gaze. “Maybe,” he echoed.

“Why can’t we remember if it has?” She asked quietly, holding her breath as he stood but not moving away. She wasn’t sure she could move away if she wanted to.

“According to Carter, whatever the reason, is my fault.” He reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. 

“I don’t know if I believe that part,” she whispered confidently as she lifted her head and held his gaze. She still believed Oliver wouldn’t hurt her and forgetting him would definitely do just that. 

“I kinda can’t help it,” he whispered, searching her eyes.

“Can’t help what?” She asked as she shifted a little closer and dropped the towel to the couch. 

“Believe he’s right about that.” He swallowed hard as she closed the rest of the distance between them.

That made her pause a little. Even if she wanted nothing more than to kiss him, she couldn’t help but wonder if having so much blind faith in him was right. “You think you could do something that would make us forget each other?” She asked quietly, ignoring the sudden tightness in her chest.

“I don’t want to think so, but...” He shut his eyes for a moment. “I _feel_ it,” he whispered. “I don’t know how to explain it.” The guilt settled on his shoulders heavily, another familiar sensation. 

She lifted a hand to his arm, wanting to comfort him because she could see the guilt in his expression and posture very clearly. “Why would you? If--” she hesitated and took a deep breath. “If what Carter said was true.”

“I don’t know. I have no idea. It doesn’t make any sense.” He opened his eyes again. “Maybe I’m just not a good person.” 

“I don’t believe that,” she said confidently, holding his gaze once more.

He brushed his thumb gently over her cheek. “I wish I had answers,” he murmured.

“Maybe we will find them,” she murmured back, leaning into his touch.

“Maybe,” he whispered, dipping his head and pressing a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Chloe closed her eyes and lifted her hand to his upper arm, she hesitated before turning her head and brushing her lips to his. If anything had felt familiar up to this point, it didn’t even begin to compare to how familiar _this_ felt.

The second she returned the light kiss, his arms slid around her and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Everything about it felt familiar, and right, and like they’d done this a thousand times before even though in this world it was the first time. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tiptoed as the kiss deepened. Everything about her life felt slightly off, like something was missing, but not this. After a long moment, with her head spinning, she broke the kiss for air and stared up at him. Her eyes were wide and dark and she had to know if he felt the same things she did.

He stared back at her, expression dazed, and eyes darker than usual--as dark as they could get without being black. If she had any doubt, it was erased by a look that mirrored her own. 

Chloe lifted her hand to cup his face, she brushed her thumb over his cheek and took a deep breath as she tried to form coherent thoughts but she didn’t seem to be able to.

Oliver forced himself to take a deep breath, too, leaning into her touch involuntarily. “We were in love,” he murmured, quiet, but certain.

Nodding slightly, she searched his eyes. She wasn’t sure ‘were’ was the correct word for it, though. “We need to fix this.” Because the intensity he was looking at her with now matched the one she had seen in her dream. During their wedding. 

“How?” he whispered, shifting closer to her. 

“I don’t know,” she admitted, leaning closer too and brushing her nose with his. “But if we had a life together, if we’re supposed to be somewhere else, somewhere we _really_ belong, we have to try.”

Oliver nodded, unable to resist the temptation of kissing her again, his hand sliding up to cup the back of her neck. 

She kissed him back instantly, pulling him closer once more. She wasn’t sure she was going to be able to stop kissing him anytime soon. Not when it made her feel the way it did.

“We might have to figure it out later,” he murmured, dropping his mouth to kiss her jaw, then her neck. 

“We have time,” she agreed, tilting her head back and keeping her eyes closed as she lowered her hands over his arms and his sides. 

Oliver reached out, pressing a hand to the small of her back and kissing her exposed throat, nibbling gently and then soothing the area with his tongue. 

She shivered and opened her eyes, turning her head a little then hesitating for just a second before reaching for the zipper on his coat. Kissing him alone was already having an effect on her, it made her want more than that and somehow, she didn’t care that they hadn’t even had their first date yet.

He slid the jacket off without hesitation, opening his eyes to meet hers once more, gaze intense as he undid the top button of her shirt. “Is this okay?” he murmured, wanting to be sure.

“Yeah,” she whispered, nodding a little. “It’s okay.” More than okay, really. 

He smiled slightly at that, undoing the next button, as well, and kissing her mouth once more. 

Chloe smiled when he did and kissed him back as she reached for his t-shirt, pulling it up a little.

Oliver drew in a breath and slid the shirt off one of her shoulders, dipping his head and kissing her there softly. He kissed her collarbone tenderly even as he slid one hand beneath her shirt, caressing her bare skin. 

She took a deep breath and slid her hands against his skin too, brushing her fingers, which were still cold from being outside, over his sides and enjoying when he shivered under her touch. She expected the reaction, probably because she had done this to him before.

He nipped lightly at her earlobe, sliding her shirt off her shoulders and smiling a little as he gazed down at her. “So beautiful,” he whispered, cupping her cheek once more.

Chloe smiled, holding his gaze as she leaned into his touch for a moment then pulled his shirt up and off of him, wanting to see him too. She almost felt like she missed seeing him, but she couldn’t remember seeing him before.

For a long moment they just stared at one another. He reached down, taking one of her hands in his and placing it against his chest, over his heart. Then he reached out and placed his hand over hers, gently stroking her skin.

She held her breath as she looked at him, brushing her own fingers over his bare skin then shifting closer and pulling her hand away before pressing a kiss over the spot. He was so much taller than her, his heart was pretty much in the perfect height. 

He shut his eyes at the feel of her lips against his skin, sliding a hand up and into her blonde hair. Some distant part of him warned that this was a mistake, but he ignored it, pulling her closer to him and dipping his head to kiss her neck again. Without warning, he leaned down, picking her up bridal style. “Where’s your bedroom?” he murmured.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the corner of his mouth before pointing to the left of the living room. “It’s the second one,” she told him quietly. She felt more comfortable than she had in a long time, being there with him like this.

He nodded, carrying her into the bedroom and shutting the door behind them. He gently laid her down on the bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He kissed a path down her body, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her body.

She took a deep breath and lifted her head to watch him as he removed her boots and jeans completely, leaving her in her underwear. “Come closer,” she told him once he was done.

He slid his body over hers, gazing down at her and kissing her softly. 

Chloe kissed him back instantly and wrapped her arms around him as he laid on top of her, enjoying the closeness and the weight of his body over hers. She broke the kiss a moment later and pressed her lips to his cheek, then his jaw and neck as she rubbed her palms over his back.

Oliver closed his eyes, resting his head against her neck for a moment and then pulling back to kiss her again. He moved one of her bra straps off her shoulder and kissed her there, looking down at her and holding his breath. Then he shifted slightly, undoing the front clasp on the bra, his gaze intense.

She held his gaze and smiled a little, not feeling self-conscious at all as he pushed her bra away from her breasts. She pulled a hand from his back and brushed her fingers against his side and then down his stomach as she reached to undo his jeans too.

He smiled when she did, holding his breath when she touched him. He undid the button on his jeans, then wrapped his arms around her, rolling them so she was atop him and flashing her a grin.

Chloe grinned back at him, looking down at him for a moment before kissing him deeply but quickly before she moved down his body, mimicking what he had done and pressing kisses to his neck, chest and stomach as she lowered herself over his body to push his pants down.

He watched her, a lazy grin still on his lips. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly as she removed his jeans and let them pool on the floor with hers. “I feel like we’ve done this a thousand times,” he whispered. 

“Me too,” she whispered back as she resumed her position over him, her legs straddling his hips. Now that they were both mostly naked, she was okay with them taking their time. Mostly because she didn’t think either of them were interested in stopping now. Or anytime soon.


	10. Chapter 10

A long time later, Oliver lay half-asleep in her bed, with her head resting on his chest. His chin was nestled against the top of her head, his arms wound around her, thumb brushing over her shoulder back and forth, slowly. His body was exhausted in a way he couldn’t remember feeling for a long time. 

And so was hers. She also couldn’t remember feeling so comfortable before. If she had any doubts that they had been together before, they were long gone now. At every touch, every movement, it became more and more obvious that this was familiar, that their bodies knew each other incredibly well. “I guess even if we can’t figure out what is going on, this will be okay too,” she murmured, pressing her lips to his chest. 

He couldn’t help but smile faintly at that, and he slid a hand up to stroke her hair. “I agree,” he whispered, closing his eyes and exhaling slowly. He wasn’t sure there were actual words to describe how he felt.

Chloe took a deep breath and lifted her head, smiling when she saw he had his eyes closed. She lifted her hand and brushed her fingers over his cheek. In the back of her mind she knew she had to get back to the store, but somehow she knew Lois would understand why she hadn’t. Besides, she really didn’t want to leave the bed.

He felt her eyes on him and he opened his eyes once more, smiling at her with tired eyes. “You wore me out,” he teased.

She grinned at that and shook her head. “It’s entirely your fault,” she told him, leaning closer and brushing her nose against his.

He chuckled, and pressed a kiss to her mouth, gazing up at her. “How could I resist you?” he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Ditto.” She smiled, leaning her head into his touch a little. “But it’s your day off, you can stay in bed the rest of the day if you want to.”

“Only if I can convince you to stay here with me,” he said sincerely.

“That is incredibly tempting,” she admitted then took a deep breath. “But I can’t leave Lois there on her own all day.”

He smiled a bit. “I was kind of afraid you were going to say that,” he admitted, rubbing her back. 

She sighed a little and nodded. “Trust me, I really don’t want to go anywhere, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she can’t even have lunch if she’s there by herself, I’d probably be a lot more tempted to stay.”

Oliver nodded, too. “Maybe we can get together tonight,” he suggested. “After your shift.” 

“That was the plan, wasn’t it?” She asked, smiling softly and relaxing a little at the suggestion. Although she was a lot less interested in the dinner and a movie portion of the evening now.

He grinned sheepishly. “Right.” He’d forgotten that had been the _original_ plan.

“Although we can just... hang out and not worry about the dinner and a movie part,” she suggested, arching her eyebrows a little. 

“Or...” He slid his hand down her back once more, arching his eyebrows, too. “I could fix dinner for us.” 

She shivered a little and smiled. “That sounds promising...”

He smiled back at her. “Any food allergies or dislikes?” 

“Not really,” she said, thinking for a moment then shrugging. “I will try anything once.”

“All right.” He tugged her closer, kissing her forehead lightly. “Should we shower?” 

“Yeah.” She leaned closer and kissed his neck lightly, wrapping her arm around him again and hugging him to her.

He smiled at her actions, hugging her back instantly and nuzzling his nose against her neck.

Chloe shivered a little and grinned, closing her eyes and snuggling closer to him. “Why do you make this so hard?” She teased. 

Oliver chuckled again. “Incentive to get you to come over tonight,” he answered lightly.

“Oh, I have plenty of incentive.” She grinned more, brushing her hand down his side. “But if you want to be one hundred percent sure, I guess you could help make showering more interesting.”

A wicked grin spread across his mouth. _”That_ I can _definitely_ do.” 

* * *   
A long time later, Oliver was finally dropping her off back at the store. He said he would go home and get started on dinner and she promised to be there a little after eight since she guessed Lois was going to be pretty angry that she was left to starve. With a deep breath, she tried to prepare herself for the yelling as she pushed the door open and stepped back inside the bookstore.

Lois arched an eyebrow when Chloe stepped inside, and she cocked her head, staring at her for a moment. Then she began to smirk. “Well, at least someone’s having a good day.” 

Chloe cocked her head, surprised by her sister’s reaction. “And what are you talking about?”

“Oh come on. You’re _glowing_.” 

She stared at her for a moment and shook her head. “I’m not glowing, Lois.” Even as she said that, she was trying not to smile. “Have you been busy?”

“Sure you’re not,” Lois said matter-of-factly. “And no, it’s been slow, thankfully.” 

“Did you get a chance to eat?” She asked, arching her eyebrows a little. Lois usually got really moody when she was hungry.

“Clark brought me maple donuts,” she informed her sister with another smirk. “But we just ate together. Nothing more exciting.” 

“Oh.” Chloe smirked as she walked further into the store and set her purse on the counter. “If I knew you were in good company I wouldn’t have come back.”

Lois’s smirk widened. “I _knew_ you were having fun.” 

With a deep breath, Chloe nodded a little and smiled. “We did go see Carter though.”

She made a face at that. “And I’m sure he was super helpful.” 

“He threw Oliver through a _window_ ,” Chloe said, her jaw clenching. “Then proceeded to yell at us.”

Lois blinked a few times, staring at her. “He threw Ollie through a window?” Her voice rose ever so-slightly. “He knows Oliver’s a cop, right?” 

“Didn’t seem to bother him,” she said then took a deep breath to calm herself down. “We just left, even if he is right, we can figure it out without his help.”

She made a face. “There has to be _some_ other way.” 

“I don’t know how,” she admitted. “But Oliver and I are pretty sure we knew each other before.” In every sense of the word. 

“I could have told you that,” Lois said, smirking.

“And yet you didn’t,” Chloe said, smirking back at her sister. “But for the record, I think you and Clark knew each other too.”

“Maybe,” she said, shrugging. “But Clark and I didn’t just spend an entire afternoon doing the horizontal mambo.” 

Chloe made a face at that and shook her head. “Do you need to call it that? Besides, how do you _know_?”

“I told you. You’re _glowing_.” 

She took a deep breath and smiled a little. “Whatever you say.” Chloe paused and took a deep breath. “I wonder why we can’t remember anything, I mean, if we’re all here together and we’re all being pulled to the people we were with there already, what difference does it make?”

“Beats me. Maybe we were all abducted by aliens or something.” She shrugged.

“Something tells me aliens would pick something a lot more exciting than Metropolis, Kansas,” she told Lois, sighing softly. 

“Maybe. But considering Metropolis, Kansas, doesn’t exist here, how would we know?” 

“I don’t know.” She took a seat and looked over at her sister. “I just wish I could remember him.”

“What about hypnosis?” 

Chloe cocked her head at that and frowned, considering. “You think that’d work?”

“Couldn’t hurt. Maybe it’d help make some sense of things.” Lois arched her eyebrows. 

She nodded. It could work, if their memories were still there somewhere. “I think I had a dream about it,” she admitted quietly, looking over at Lois.

At that, Lois moved closer to her. “What did you dream?” 

Chloe hesitated. “About my wedding to Oliver. It was before anything happened, that day he came to change the lock?” She explained then took a deep breath. “You and Clark were there, and Emil and... Tess, I think.”

She stared at her sister. “You dreamt you guys were _married_?” 

“Yeah.” Her chest tightened and she smiled a little. “And we were so happy.”

Lois pursed her lips, still staring at her. “Okay, we’re closing for the day and we’re going to see someone who can figure this out.” She moved toward the door, flipping the sign to closed.

“Lois?” Chloe frowned, standing up. “Where would we even go?”

“To see the Great Zatara,” she answered, grabbing her wrist and pulling her outside.

“The magician?” Chloe cocked her head a little, pursing her lips together even as she was dragged out the door. It was worth a try anyway. 

“The very one.” She pulled Chloe toward her car. “We can be there in ten minutes.” 

“Lead the way,” Chloe said as she got into the car. Once inside, she looked over at her sister. “I need to be back by eight.”

“Hot date with the hubby?” Lois smirked.

“Don’t call him that!” She gasped, horrified. It would be just like Lois to say that in front of Oliver. “I haven’t told him about my dream.”

Lois rolled her eyes. “You realize he’s not in the car with us, right?” 

“Yeah but you would say it in front of him on accident,” she pointed out, arching her eyebrows.

She smirked, checking her mirrors. “Maybe it would make him remember something.” 

“I don’t know.” She frowned, considering. “I feel like he remembers less than me.”

“Well, maybe today will kickstart his memory,” Lois suggested, putting the car into gear.

“Maybe, and I guess we will see what our local magician has to say.” She wasn’t sure the woman was this kind of magician but worst case scenario, they would be called crazy too. 

* * * 

Zatanna didn’t like this universe. And if she ever managed to get back to her own universe, she was pretty sure she was going to be swearing off wish-granting. If she’d had any inclination, of course, at the time, about what Oliver was going to be wishing for, she would have refused flat-out. She didn’t care how good his reasons were; nothing was a good enough reason to cause upheaval in the lives of everyone they knew. 

Needless to say that when Chloe and Lois walked into her little magic store, her eyes widened. They’d never actually met her in this universe, and she didn’t know if it meant they’d started remembering and were here to try and undo things, but she hoped that was the case. 

“Hello,” she greeted, walking around the counter and moving over to greet them.

“Hi,” Chloe greeted uncertainly, glancing at her sister then back at the woman. “This might seem odd but... we were wondering what kind of magic you do?” She asked, better get it out of the way before the woman kicked them out and called them insane.

“What kind of magic are you looking for?” Zatanna asked, arching her eyebrows.

She hesitated and stepped forward. “The kind that makes wishes come true?” 

Zee held her breath. “The kind that makes wishes come true or the kind that undoes a wish?” Technically asking a _possibly_ leading question wasn’t against any rules.

Chloe held her breath and straightened, a little more anxious now. “The latter.” 

“Oh thank god,” she whispered, looking skyward.

“What?” Chloe asked instantly, walking straight up to the woman. “Do you know why I’m asking?”

Zatanna glanced between Chloe and Lois, who had arched her eyebrows, then nodded, moving to the door and flipping the sign to closed, and locking the door. “Come into the back.” 

Her heart was beating fast as she followed the woman past a curtain and into the back of the shop. She would have to buy Lois a lot of coffee as a thank you for even suggesting this. 

“Do either of you recognize me?” she asked hopefully, turning to face them once they were in the back room.

“I’ve heard about you around town, but not otherwise,” Chloe said apologetically. 

“Ditto,” Lois told her. “But if you know how to figure this out, let us know and we will totally advertise your show for free in whatever we do back in our other world.”

Zatanna smiled faintly at that. “Where’s Oliver?” she asked.

“At his house,” Chloe answered, cocking her head a little.

“Unfortunately I can’t do anything to reverse the wish unless he requests it. It was his wish,” she explained.

“We’ll go get him,” Lois said, reaching for Chloe’s arm again. “We’ll be back in ten.”

“Wait,” Chloe told her as her stomach tightened a little at the confirmation that it was his wish. She looked at the magician for a moment. “Do you know why he made the wish?”

Zatanna shook her head, sighing softly. “I wish I did.” She paused, gazing intently at Chloe. “But let me tell you what I _do_ know.” She moved closer to the blonde. “You were his entire world. And he was yours. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“It feels that way,” she admitted, her chest also tight. “But he made a wish to give up that world.”

“Which says to me that there had to be something incredibly wrong for him to have done that,” she whispered.

“What if he was trying to protect us from something?” She asked, glancing at her sister. “What if that world isn’t a good place for us?”

Lois frowned. “Even if that was true, how sure can we be that whatever it was won’t happen here, too?” 

Chloe considered that for a moment. “I guess we would have a better chance at stopping it if we knew what it was.” She paused and looked at the other woman once more. “Do you remember what things were like?”

“I wasn’t around a lot,” Zatanna confessed. “The two of you spent most of your time between Metropolis and Star City, and most of the time I was either traveling, or I was in Gotham. He didn’t give any indication of what was happening, so I’m as in the dark as the two of you in that aspect.” 

Sighing a little, Chloe nodded. “I will talk to him,” she promised. “If I bring him here, if he wants it undone, can you do it?”

“Yes,” she said immediately, nodding. “Yes, I can.” 

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll be back, let you know either way.”

“I’ll see you soon then,” Zatanna answered.

“Thank you,” Chloe told her, then glancing at Lois and nodding slightly before heading back out. She had a million questions and while she wanted to remember her life with Oliver before his wish, she couldn’t imagine that he would have wished for this unless he had a really good reason to.

* * * 

Oliver had barely stepped out of his apartment building that afternoon when he literally ran into Lionel Luthor. He arched his eyebrows, excusing himself and starting to move around him, his mind already back on what he needed to get from the grocery store to fix for dinner for Chloe that night.

“Mr. Queen,” Lionel called, turning to face him. 

He paused, turning to face the older man. “Yes?” 

“Just the man I was looking for.” He smiled. “I was hoping I could speak with you for a moment?”


	11. Chapter 11

Chloe was more than a little worried when she showed up at Oliver’s and he wasn’t home. She had never been to his house before, but she glanced inside through the windows and was able to tell the house was indeed empty. Part of her was rationalizing that he was probably just at the grocery store or something, since his car was still at the garage. But part of her was afraid he had gone after Carter, or worst, that Carter had come after him. 

So at the risk of looking like a stalker and despite the light snow that was starting to fall, she decided to stay there and wait for him to get back. 

Oliver walked up toward his house, pausing at the sight of the pretty blonde seated on the porch. He arched his eyebrows a little, then glanced around, but didn’t see another car around. She must have walked. Pursing his lips, he moved closer to her, arching his eyebrows. “Hello.” 

“Hi,” she smiled, relieved to see him there in one piece and walked right up to him. “I know it’s not eight yet but I wanted to see you. I mean, I have something to talk to you about and it’s pretty important, so I waited.”

Oliver paused at that, confused by her familiarity with him and he cocked his head to the side. “Okay,” he said slowly.

She frowned a little at the look on his face, but reached for his hand anyway. “Can we go inside?”

He looked down at her hand, frowning, too. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice quiet as he shook his head. “Do I know you?” 

“Ollie?” She frowned, thinking for a second that maybe he was joking but when he continued to stare at her, she pulled her hand away. “You don’t know who I am?” She whispered, her chest tightening instantly.

For whatever reason, despite the truth, he felt guilty for shaking his head in response to her question. “Do you know me?” 

“Yeah,” she said quietly, her voice wavering a little. “I just saw you a few hours ago.”

Oliver gazed at her, swallowing hard and taking a hesitant step toward her. “I’m sorry,” he said again, looking worried. “I...don’t remember.” 

“That doesn’t make any sense.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Do you remember where you’re coming from?”

He paused, glancing behind him, frown deepening. He blinked a few times and then looked back at her, confused. “No,” he admitted, reaching up and rubbing his head.

She stared at him for a moment then hesitated before speaking. “Do you feel like you should know me?”

He stared back at her, searching her eyes. He moved a little closer to her, drawing in a breath and letting it out slowly. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

Holding her breath, she reached for his hand again and kept her eyes on his but didn’t say anything, just gave him time.

He hesitantly reached out and took her hand, swallowing hard. “What’s your name?” 

“Chloe,” she whispered, still searching his eyes. Her chest was so tight, it hurt. Instead of just a distant dream, she now had the memories of earlier that day, of the way he had looked at her, the way he had kissed her and now all she saw in his eyes was confusion. 

“Chloe,” he echoed, looking down at their hands for a moment and then back at her face. “I’m really sorry that I don’t remember.” 

As much as she wanted to push him, to give him things to help him remember, his words hurt more than she thought they would. Her vision blurred and she gently pulled her hand from his and nodded a little. “I should go.”

Oliver held his breath. “Did...were we...?” 

She didn’t know if he was asking if they slept together, if they were involved, but considering the answer was the same for both, she nodded slightly but remained silent. She wanted to get away from him, to pull herself together before trying to make sense of this.

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Oh,” he whispered, guilt worsening. How could he not remember that?

The snow was coming down harder now and since it looked like she was going to have to walk home, she forced herself to take a deep breath. “I... should give you some time,” she offered. Part of her wanted to stay but she didn’t know if she could take much longer of seeing that look on his face.

“Will you come back?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. 

“You want me to?” She asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

He couldn’t explain to her, or even to himself why he needed to see her again, so he simply nodded, holding her gaze.

“Do you have your phone?” He had given her his number back at the bookstore, but she had never given him hers.

He drew in another breath, reaching into his pocket. “Yeah. I have it.” 

Chloe held out her hand silently, her fingers brushing over his as she took the phone from him. With a deep breath, she programmed her number into it and held it back to him. “I’ll give you some time.” Even if now that she was about to, she wanted to leave even less. “Call me when you’re ready, any time, I don’t mind.”

“I will,” he whispered, taking the phone from her once more and meeting her eyes. “Are you...okay?” 

The concern in his eyes seemed to hurt even more than the confusion, so she tried for a smile and nodded a little as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Okay.” His voice was soft, but he wasn’t convinced. How could she be okay when there was something between them and he didn’t know her? 

“I’ll see you soon,” she said, resisting the urge to just kiss him to try and see if it would trigger his memories. Instead, she turned away from him and started down his driveway as quickly as possible.

* * *

Chloe had gone back home, but she hadn’t been able to stay. Lois had headed to The Daily Bean after dropping her off and Chloe had decided that she should let her enjoy her time with Clark while she could, there was no telling if this would happen to all of them or not. But since sitting at home and thinking wasn’t an option, she headed back to see the magician. Maybe she could make more sense of what had happened to Oliver and more importantly, how to get his memory back. 

The shop still had the open sign off but Chloe didn’t turn away, she knocked on the door then opened it, only then realizing she didn’t know the woman’s name, so she called by what she assumed was a last name. “Zatara?” 

Zatanna emerged from the back room, arching her eyebrows. “You can call me Zee. It’s easier,” she said with a shrug. “Where’s Ollie?” 

“Something happened to him,” Chloe said, letting the door close behind her, her eyes wide. 

She paused at that, cocking her head to the side. “What happened?” 

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I had just seen him before we came here, Lois dropped me off at his place and when he got there-” Chloe paused and shook her head. “He didn’t know who I was.”

Zatanna blinked. “He didn’t _know_ you? Like, at all?” 

“No,” she whispered, sighing softly. “I asked if he felt like he should know me, like we did before we figured it out. But he said he didn’t know.” And even repeating it to Zee hurt as much as it had when he told her.

The dark-haired woman stared at Chloe for a long moment. This one she definitely wasn’t responsible for. “It sounds like someone erased his memory.” 

“Again.” Chloe said, holding her breath. “So you have any idea who it could be?”

“No,” she said honestly. “I don’t know why anyone would want to unless they stand to gain something from remaining in this universe.” She paused at that, holding her breath.

“What?” Chloe asked instantly when she saw the look on her face.

“There...are people here who...” Zatanna looked down for a moment. “Had died where we’re from.” 

She paused at that, holding her breath. “Do you think they know? That they are trying to stop us from going back because of it?”

“Maybe,” she murmured, looking up at Chloe once more. 

“Who is it?” She asked, taking a step toward the other woman. “We need to stop them.”

“We don’t know for sure they’re behind it,” she pointed out. “But one is Lionel Luthor.” She winced. “He’s the one who killed Ollie’s parents.” 

“Then he isn’t a good man,” she concluded, taking a deep breath. “I’ve had a bad feeling about him, I just didn’t understand why...” Chloe shook her head and straightened. “I will tell Ollie everything, I will get him to understand what is happening. And I’m not leaving his side after he knows the truth, I will bring him here and he will ask to have his wish undone.” If she could get _her_ Oliver back, the one she had married in another reality and the one she had spent the afternoon with, she knew he would do it if they were in danger in this world too. 

“It also could have been Tess Mercer,” Zatanna told her, reaching out and touching her arm. “She was a friend toward the end, but she wasn’t always on our side.” 

She was at their wedding, at least in her dream. “I’ve never met her, but I know who she is. We need to keep both of them away from him, just in case.”

“Agreed,” she said, nodding.

Chloe took a deep breath and nodded. She was going to have to go back to his house, try to explain everything to him and do her best not to leave him out of her sight. “Do you have any idea how I could help him remember? Or at least trust me?”

Zatanna considered for a moment. “I may be able to help with that, actually.” 

“How?” She asked, holding her breath. 

“With a minor spell,” she admitted, gazing at the other woman.

“Is it safe?” Chloe asked, her stomach turning at the idea of yet another spell being cast. That’s what had gotten them in this mess in the first place, apparently.

Zatanna nodded slightly. “It’ll just make him want to stick with you for a few hours.” 

She hesitated at that then nodded a little. “Let me give it a try first,” she said hesitantly. “If I have problems getting him to trust me, I will give you a call?”

Given the circumstances, she didn’t blame Chloe for her hesitation. “Yeah.” She moved over to the counter, picking up one of her business cards and handing it over to her. “Here.” 

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I just-- I want him to trust me for himself.” She explained, not wanting the woman to feel bad, even if partially, she just didn’t want to involve more magic.

“I get it,” Zatanna assured her. “Especially considering my magic was what brought us all here to begin with, even if the wish was Oliver’s.” 

“And I hope we can somehow figure out why he made the wish before he asks to have it undone, but I won’t risk him losing his memory again. I will call you,” she promised, sliding the card into her purse. “Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck.” She paused. “Oh, Chloe?” 

“Yeah?” She paused too, arching her eyebrows.

“Consider wearing something green when you go see him again.” She barely suppressed a smile. 

“Green?” She frowned, cocking her head. “Why?”

At that, she did smile. “Just trust me.” 

“Okay,” she agreed, then paused, hesitating for a moment. “Can I ask you something? About... our world, I guess.”

Zatanna nodded slightly. “Yeah, sure.” 

“Were we married? Oliver and I. Did we get married with just Lois, Clark, Emil and Tess there?” She asked, holding her breath as she waited for an answer. 

She smiled faintly. “Yeah. You did. Lois and Clark were actually celebrating their engagement and you and Oliver wound up eloping at a little chapel in Metropolis during their party.” 

“Lois and Clark were engaged?” She asked, smiling slightly and nodding. “I had a dream about the wedding, I didn’t know if it was real or not, but it felt real.”

“It was real,” Zatanna assured her. “I’ve seen the marriage certificate. It’s displayed proudly in a very expensive frame in your penthouse.” 

Chloe nodded a little, feeling more confident now. She had a thousand questions but now wasn’t the time to ask them. She had to get her husband back. “Thank you,” she said again, “I’ll call you.” She repeated before heading for the door.

“You’ll be fine,” Zatanna said, leaning back against the counter, confidence in her tone. Because if there was anyone in the universe who could get through to Oliver Queen, it was Chloe Sullivan.


	12. Chapter 12

Oliver sat across his kitchen table from Tess Mercer, who was watching him intently. “I don’t understand,” he said slowly, frowning. “Why would I stay away from her?” 

“There is something going on with people here,” She told him, reaching and placing a hand over his. “Some people are losing their memories like you and rumors are, she knows why and when people get too close to the truth, she asks them to come with her, gets them to trust her and does something to them. When they come back, they are like you,” Tess told him sadly. “I just wish I had gotten to you in time.”

He looked down at her hand. There was no doubt about the fact that he felt a connection to the red-head, but it wasn’t the same feeling he’d had when he was around Chloe earlier, brief as it was. And what she was saying just didn’t make sense. He’d come back from someplace with his memories gone, and Chloe had been waiting on him at his house. He hadn’t gone anywhere with her. “Are you sure?” 

“It’s what I know,” she whispered. “It’s hard to know the truth for sure since... when we get too close, our memories are wiped. Which is why we have to be very careful with who we tell about this.”

Oliver pursed his lips, searching her eyes. It was pretty clear she believed what she was saying. He blew out a breath, pulling his hand away and rubbing both hands over his face. He leaned back in his chair, still watching her. “Who told you?” 

Tess hesitated at that and shook her head. “I can’t say,” she said apologetically. “You know I trust you with my life, if you don’t, trust your instinct about me,” she said, watching him closely. “This person is our best chance of getting our memories back, when our help is needed, we will be called but for now, it needs to remain a secret.”

Because that didn’t sound at all suspicious. He started to respond, then glanced toward the front door when he heard the knock. “Okay.” He rose to his feet, heading for the door.

“Be careful.” Tess tensed, standing up as she looked at him. 

He pursed his lips at that, unlocking and opening the door, holding his breath when he found Chloe standing on the doorstep.

Chloe held her breath and looked at him silently for a moment, seeing him still hurt as much as it had earlier, but now she had a purpose. “I know I promised to wait for your call, but I couldn’t,” she said quietly.

He shifted slightly, making sure Tess’s view to the door was blocked by his frame. “This...uh.” Shit. He raked a hand through his hair.

She blinked a couple of times and frowned, not liking the way he was shifting, like he was uncomfortable. “Is something wrong?”

Oliver pursed his lips. “I have company,” he said softly.

“Oh.” Her stomach dropped and she glanced inside but wasn’t able to see anything. On top of him being much taller than she was, she was also a step down from him. “Who?” She mouthed, holding his gaze, fear clear on her face.

He hesitated, but only for a second. “Tess,” he mouthed back, arching his eyebrows.

Her face fell and she took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm. She didn’t know for sure the woman was behind his memory loss and he was still willing to talk to her. It wasn’t too late. “Come outside,” she whispered, taking a step back. “Close the door.”

Oliver held his breath, searching her eyes and then nodding a little, stepping outside and closing the door behind him wordlessly.

“I don’t know what she told you,” Chloe whispered to him when he came closer. “I don’t know if she did something to you or not, I don’t even know her,” she admitted. “But please be careful with what you believe.” 

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “She thinks I need to stay away from you,” he admitted, quietly.

Her chest tightened painfully and she looked up at him, holding his gaze. “Do you think I would hurt you?” She asked in a whisper.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “But...” 

“You’re confused and you have no more reason to trust me than you have to trust her,” she said, taking a deep breath as she tried to think of how to convince him she was the one on his side.

“No, that’s not it.” He reached out and touched her shoulder hesitantly. “It’s just...she completely believes what she wants me to believe.” 

Chloe cocked her head a little at that. “You think someone put her up to... whatever this is?” 

“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I think it’s possible. But why would anyone want to keep us apart? That doesn’t even make sense.” 

“It does,” she whispered sadly then she hesitated and reached for his hand and looked down at it. “I can explain everything but... you need to get her to leave.” She looked back up at him. “We can follow her, find out who is telling her whatever she told you, make sure she’s safe.” Because if Tess had been at their wedding, she had to be someone important to them. 

“She’s going to suspect something’s up. I’ve been out here too long. What am I supposed to tell her?” he asked, shaking his head.

“That you need to think about it?” Chloe asked, then held her breath. “Or... tell her the truth, tell her I tried to come talk to you, but tell her you asked me to leave. I’ll hide and come back when she leaves,” she promised, squeezing his hand.

He drew in a breath, nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.” He looked down at their joined hands for a moment, then hesitantly squeezed hers back. 

Chloe smiled faintly at that then nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out,” she whispered before reluctantly letting go of his hand and pulling away. 

“See you soon,” Oliver told her, moving to open the door once more.

Tess was still standing by the table when he walked in, tenser than before. “It was her, wasn’t it?”

He nodded slightly, meeting her eyes. “I told her she had to leave.” He wasn’t sure why it was so easy to lie to her.

“Good,” Tess breathed but kept her eyes on him. “You should come stay with me, you will be safer there.”

Oliver paused at that. “No. I’m not going to leave my home.” 

“Do you even remember living here, Oliver?” Tess asked, frowning at him. 

He cocked his head to the side. “Yeah. I remember my house. I just...don’t remember people.” 

“You will be safe with me,” she promised. “You’ll be safe from whoever did this to you.”

“I’ll be fine, but I appreciate the offer,” he said firmly.

Tess shifted uncomfortably, nervously and shook her head. “You’re not safe here. She will come back.”

“Then I won’t answer my door.” 

“I can come back,” Tess offered, watching him closely and taking a step forward.

“Just call before you come so I’ll know it’s you and not someone else,” he suggested.

Tess looked at him for a moment, hesitating before starting to the door. “I’ll be by later.”

“Get home safe.” He watched her head away, shoulders tense.

“Lock your door,” she told him, staring at him for a moment longer before reaching for the door. 

“Will do.” He followed her to the door, waiting as she headed outside before closing and locking the door so she could hear it click.

Chloe waited a while longer after she saw the woman drive away before heading to Oliver’s back door and knocking on it. She was shivering from the cold, but at least, it hadn’t been too long. 

“Who is it?” he asked loudly, wanting to make sure Tess hadn’t changed her mind and come back.

“It’s me, Chloe,” she answered. “She’s gone.”

Oliver let out a breath, unlocking the door and pulling it open. He stepped aside to let her in, chewing the inside of his cheek.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands together, nodding at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re freezing,” he murmured, shutting and locking the door once more. He moved over to the sofa, grabbing the blanket and draping it around her shoulders.

“I wasn’t planning on being outside,” she admitted, holding her breath when he pulled the blanket around her. “Thank you.”

“Welcome,” he said quietly, rubbing his hands over her shoulders without really thinking about it.

Chloe took a step closer to him and held on tightly to the blanket to stop herself from reaching out and touching him. “How are you doing?” She asked quietly.

“Confused, mostly,” Oliver said, sighing.

“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely, her chest tight. “There is a lot I don’t know still but, I think I know why you lost your memory.” Again.

“I’m all ears,” he told her. “Because right now the only theory I’ve heard is that you’re behind it.” 

Chloe paused and shook her head a little. “Why would I want you to forget me?”

“I have no idea. But I know that’s not true, because when I came back from...wherever I was, you were _here_ waiting for me. So her theory doesn’t make sense.” 

“Thank you for not believing her,” she said quietly then took a deep breath. “We should sit down.”

Oliver motioned to his sofa. “Make yourself comfortable. Do you want something to drink?” 

“No.” She took a deep breath and held her hand out to him. 

He hesitated a second, then slid his hand into hers.

Chloe let out her breath, nodding a little and forcing herself to relax as she walked over to the couch with him.

He followed her, sitting down beside her and watching her closely. “So what’s your theory?” 

She kept her hold on his hand and turned toward him slightly. “It’s not a theory,” she whispered. “You and I started getting close here, and every time we were around each other, things felt familiar. We spoke with a man, they call him Crazy Carter and he told us we didn’t belong here, that we were from a different reality, that we had been sent here and forced to forget our world.” 

Oliver blinked a couple of times, staring at her and arching his eyebrows. “A different reality...” he echoed.

“I know how it sounds,” she said quietly, squeezing his hand. “But it’s the only thing that makes some sense.”

He searched her eyes. “You really believe this.” 

“I do,” she whispered, holding his gaze. “And you did too.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “So what were we going to do about it? Is there anything we _can_ do about it?” 

“There is.” She sat up a little. “What made this happen was a wish, your wish. We don’t know why you made it or what the exact wish was, but the woman you made the wish to is here too. And she can reverse the wish, as long as _you_ ask her to.”

Oliver stared at her again. His head was starting to hurt. “You’re right. This all sounds really...” He shook his head a little.

“I know.” She winced a little and nodded. “And I’m sorry I’m just telling you everything at once like this, we can take a break.”

“You just got here,” he pointed out, rising to his feet and rubbing his face with one hand.

“And I don’t plan on going anywhere,” she said sincerely but remained seated, wanting to give him some space. 

“I’m gonna get a drink. You sure you don’t want anything?” 

“What are you having?” she asked quietly, watching him closely.

“Well, I was thinking about scotch,” he said wryly.

Chloe paused at that, trying to understand why that suddenly gave her butterflies in her stomach. She took it as scotch meaning something for them, so she nodded. “I’ll have some.”

Oliver met her eyes, nodding a little and wondering why his gut suddenly tightened at her agreement. He turned and headed into the kitchen, pulling out the bottle of single malt and pouring each of them a glass.

She took a deep breath as he walked away and pulled the blanket from her shoulder, she was feeling warmer already and since Zee had told her she should wear green, she removed her coat too, revealing a green sweater she was wearing under it. She didn’t know what that was supposed to do, but if it was going to make him feel more connected to her, she would give it a try. 

He turned to face her once more, realizing she’d ditched her jacket. His gaze dropped to take in her green sweater. It dipped down in the front--not a lot--but just enough that he held his breath and felt a mixture of guilty and intrigued when he met her eyes again. He held the glass out to her wordlessly.

“Thank you,” she said, cocking her head as she watched him. That had definitely had an effect on him, she just wasn’t entirely sure what it meant.

“You’re welcome.” Their fingers brushed lightly over one another as she took the glass from him. “That’s uh--that’s a really good color on you.” 

Chloe couldn’t help but smile at that, she looked down at her sweater then back at him. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “Do you like green?”

“Apparently,” he muttered, taking a drink of the scotch.

“Me too,” she answered, keeping her eyes on him for a moment longer before looking down at the drink. She didn’t remember ever having scotch before, but she had the feeling she liked it. Still, she sipped slowly, then nodded a little. “This is nice.”

Oliver nodded slightly, finishing his and setting the glass down. “So you want me to go see this woman and take back whatever wish it was I made that brought us here?” 

“If you’re comfortable with that,” she told him as she stood up. “I don’t know what things were like before the wish, but she does.” She held her breath and looked down then back at him. “She told me we were--” Chloe hesitated, she couldn’t tell him they were married, or in love, not yet. “Happy.”

He took a step toward her. “In love,” he said, though it didn’t sound like a question.

Holding her breath, she nodded slightly and searched his eyes. Maybe he felt it too. Again.

He drew in a breath, gazing at her. “Then let’s go.” 

“Really?” She asked, her eyes widening, “you will ask her to undo the wish?” 

“What do I have to lose?” He shrugged a little.

Nodding slightly, she took a deep breath. She didn’t know the answer to that question, she didn’t know why he had made the wish in the first place, but she was glad he was willing to get their life back. “Let’s go see her, then.”


	13. Chapter 13

The drive to the magic shop had taken a little longer due to the bad weather. The door was locked now, so Chloe knocked, hoping that the magician would be there still because if the woman didn’t live in the back of the shop, she had no idea where to find her. 

“Are you okay?” She asked Oliver as they waited for the woman to show up. 

“Yeah.” He chewed the inside of his cheek, stomach tight with anxiety.

Chloe took a deep breath and turned to look at him. “I don’t know if you will remember this when we get back,” she whispered. “But whatever reason led you to make this wish, I know that between the two of us, we can figure it out.”

He looked back at her, swallowing hard. “What if I did something terrible?” 

“We will fix it,” she said confidently. “I will help you with whatever it is, I promise.”

“You have such faith in me,” he murmured, shaking his head. “Do you remember things that I don’t? About this other world where we’re supposed to be from?” 

“No,” she told him sincerely. “But I don’t need to remember to know I would trust you with my life.”

Oliver held his breath at that, then looked to the door when it opened, revealing a woman with long, dark hair. The woman smiled as soon as she saw them. 

“Come in,” she said, holding the door open.

“Thank you,” Chloe told her, glancing at Oliver before stepping inside. 

He drew in a breath, following Chloe inside the magic shop and glancing around with arched eyebrows. He didn’t think he’d ever been inside a magic shop before, but it was pretty much what he’d imagined: a lot of candles, incense, and jars of strong-smelling herbs. 

“He still can’t remember anything,” she told Zee. “But... he agreed to revert the spell.” She glanced at Oliver once again, making sure he was still willing to do this. 

Oliver turned his attention to the dark-haired woman, nodding. “I don’t know why I wished for this, but if that’s what happened, let’s...undo it.” 

Zatanna smiled. “Great. Come into the back room and we’ll get started.” 

Chloe paused and held her hand out to Oliver even as the woman disappeared into the back room.

He reached out and took her hand, sliding his fingers through hers and following her to the back room, which was dimly lit. “So uh, how do we do this?” he asked, nervous.

“It won’t hurt,” Zatanna assured him, lighting a couple of candles.

“Can I stay?” Chloe asked, holding onto his hand tightly. 

“Of course.” She nodded, turning to face them once more. “Close your eyes and try to clear your mind,” she told them.

Oliver glanced at Chloe sideways, then drew in a breath, shutting his eyes and doing his best to let his mind go blank.

She placed her other hand on top of his too and stepped closer to him. She felt like she should say something to Lois, let her know this was happening but, soon enough things would go back to normal and they would be together again. 

* * * 

He sat in the corner of the room beside her bed, pale and still, four day’s worth of stubble covering his face. He hadn’t left her side other than when Lois had forced him to, saying she needed ‘girl time’ with her cousin, who hadn’t even been conscious at the time. He was well-aware that the other woman just wanted him to get some rest, and maybe a shower, but he hadn’t left the hospital. He’d dozed for about five minutes in the waiting room, and then he’d woken up with the idea, and made the call. 

He hadn’t even told Zatanna the reasons behind his wish, and now it didn’t matter because he’d allowed Chloe to talk him into reversing it. And now they were back here, in a private room at the Star City General Hospital, and his wife still hadn’t regained consciousness. 

Her fingers closed into a fist, then opened again as her hand moved on the bed as if she was trying to find something to hold on to. 

Oliver blinked a couple of times at the movement and he rose to his feet, moving over to her side and reaching down to take her hand. “Chloe?” he whispered, eyes flickering to her face.

She held onto his hand instantly and her body relaxed once more. She was still again for a while but her eyes fluttered open a moment later. 

He held his breath as her fingers curled around his and he reached up with his other hand, touching her cheek, but just barely, afraid he’d hurt her just by touching her. 

Chloe stared up at him in silence, then the hint of a smile appeared on her lips. “Worked,” she said hoarsely.

“Shh,” he whispered, reaching out and picking up a pitcher of water beside her and pouring a glass of water. He slid the straw into it and then held it to her lips so she could take a drink.

She drank slowly, closing her eyes again and squeezing his hand lightly when she was done.

He set the glass down once more, his chest tightening as he reached down for the ‘call nurse’ button. “I’m gonna get a doctor down here.” 

Chloe nodded slightly and opened her eyes to look at him again. “Stay.”

“I will.” His voice was quiet and he pressed the button.

She relaxed a little but kept her eyes on him, her body felt heavy and so did her eyelids, but she needed to make sure he wasn’t going anywhere, most of all that he wasn’t going after Zatanna again.

His eyes watered as he looked down at her. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Shh,” she told him quietly, shaking her head a little as she lifted her hand to touch his face.

Oliver shut his eyes, turning his face into her touch and then pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand. Before he had a chance to say anything else, a nurse and a doctor came in, checking her vitals and talking in medical-ease. When they left, he hooked his ankle around the chair’s leg and dragged it closer so he could stay beside her when he sat down.

Chloe cocked her head to the side so she could look at him even as he sat down. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said quietly. Talking required a lot of energy, but she needed him to know. 

“Shh,” he murmured. “Rest. I’m not going anywhere, either.” He pressed another kiss to her palm.

She nodded a little, keeping her eyes on him for a long moment until her eyes started to close. 

“I love you,” he whispered, keeping her hand in his even as she fell asleep again.

* * * 

Lois Lane rushed through the hospital, straight to her cousin’s room as quickly as humanly possible not stopping until she made it to the door and taking a deep breath before pushing it open. 

Oliver looked up from where his head had been resting on the edge of Chloe’s bed when he heard the door open. He quickly put a finger to his lips when he saw her.

She stared at her cousin as she walked further into the room, a frown appearing on her face. “Didn’t she wake up?” She whispered. 

He arched his eyebrows, rising to his feet and moving toward her. “Yeah, but she’s exhausted.” 

“Emil called,” Lois explained, glancing at Chloe once more before focusing on Oliver. “He said she was doing better.”

“They said her vitals were stabilized. And she woke up.” He looked down at the floor.

“Good,” she breathed, relieved. “So why don’t you go home while she rests? Take a shower, lay down for a couple of hours. I can stay.”

Oliver shook his head immediately. “No, I can’t leave...” 

“She’s stable, Ollie,” Lois told him, frowning. “And she won’t be alone if she wakes up.”

He rubbed his hands over his face. “I know. I just...” 

“You’re worried about her,” she said, arching her eyebrows.

“I can’t help it.” 

Lois sighed and nodded a little. “Let me go get you some food at least, what sounds good?”

Oliver grimaced slightly at the mention of food, but he knew he needed to eat. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten--in this reality _or_ the other. “Just a sandwich or salad would be great. Thanks, Lois.” 

“Don’t thank me, I just don’t want her to kick my ass when she gets out for not at least trying to get you to take care of yourself,” she said, trying for a smile.

He hesitated a second, then gave her a hug. “She’s gonna be okay,” he said softly.

Lois hugged him back and sighed in relief, nodding a little. “Of course she is,” she told him, even though she hadn’t been sure until she got the call from Emil a couple of hours ago. 

He let her go, offering her a tiny smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Go, get me food,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes but smiled a little back at him. “Enjoy it now, only time I will ever let you get away with that,” she warned, pausing and looking at her cousin for a moment before heading to the door.

He definitely hoped she was right. Scrubbing his hands over his face as she left, he moved back over to his chair, but didn’t sit down. Instead he gazed down at Chloe, whose face was far too pale. He shifted his gaze to the heart monitor she was hooked up to, watching it for a few moments before slowly easing back into the uncomfortable seat.

* * * 

Oliver was half-asleep again when he felt a rush of air, and he sat up, feeling dazed as he looked up and saw Bart standing there. “Hey,” he whispered, glancing over at Chloe and then back at the younger man.

“We caught him,” Bart said, his eyes wide. “He’s gonna be locked up for life.”

“Meaning he’s in Arkham?” His jaw tightened ever-so-slightly. 

“Not yet, he’s still in jail, but between your lawyers and Batman, he will be going up soon,” Bart promised. “I will let you know as soon as he’s transferred, though.”

Oliver looked at his wife for a moment and then back at Bart. “I want to see him before he’s transferred.” 

“Bad idea,” Bart said with a frown and shook his head. 

“I don’t care.” 

“Ollie?” Chloe called, lifting her head a little from the bed and frowning.

He quickly moved over to her side once more. “Don’t try to move,” he said, alarmed.

Bart stilled and stared at Chloe with even wider eyes. 

“What’s going on?” She asked, laying her head back down.

“Bart’s here. We’re just talking,” he told her quietly, reaching up and touching her cheek.

She leaned into his touch and nodded a little. 

“Good to see you awake,” Bart said carefully as he looked from Chloe to Oliver and back and took a couple steps closer to the bed. 

“Hey,” Chloe greeted, smiling a little. “How long was I out?”

“A few days,” Oliver said quietly, glancing over at Bart again.

“I should get back,” Bart said, then he looked at Oliver, “you should stay.” Before Oliver could answer, he vanished.

He arched his eyebrows and shook his head a little as Bart disappeared. Then he moved closer to Chloe. “How are you feeling?” 

Chloe looked at him for a moment. “You know how you always answer that with ‘like I was hit by a three ton truck’?”

Oliver winced at that, reaching for her nurse call button. “I’ll call the nurse for some pain killers.” 

“No.” She shook her head a little. “I don’t want to be out again. I’m not in pain just... sore.”

“Hate to break it to you, Professor, but it’s the same thing.” He frowned, looking worried.

“It’s not,” she argued. “I’m okay for now.” She looked around the room and frowned a little. “How much longer do I have to stay?”

“You’ve been out for awhile and you just woke up. So probably a couple more days at least.” 

“And where was Bart going that he doesn’t think you should go?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.

Oliver pursed his lips. “To jail.” 

“What for?” She frowned, watching him closely.

“To see Vordigan. They caught him.” His jaw tightened.

Chloe paused at that and shook her head. “You’re not going to see him, Oliver. Especially not in a jail.” And most definitely not without her.

“At least in jail there are bars to keep me from killing him,” he answered.

“And a lot of cops are just waiting to see you do something wrong to use it against you,” she pointed out, arching an eyebrow. He would get out without a problem but she would rather not risk it.

Oliver blew out a breath, looking away and falling silent for a moment. “Well, I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Thank you,” she told him, relaxing again against the bed.

“Just try and relax,” he whispered. “Do you want some water?” 

“Yeah,” she told him quietly, watching as he stood up to get her water. “How are you doing?”

“I’m all right,” he told her, moving the straw to her mouth so she could drink.

She drank most of it then pulled the straw from her lips and nodded a little. She wanted to ask him about the wish, make sure everything that almost felt like a dream had really been real, but she wasn’t ready to and this wasn’t the place for them to talk about that. 

“You need anything else?” he whispered, setting the glass down and reaching out to cup her cheek. “You sure you don’t want painkillers?” 

“I’m sure,” she told him quietly, cupping the hand he had on her cheek with her own. “Just want to stay with you for a while.”

He met her eyes for a moment, nodding slightly, guilt making his stomach tighten. 

She saw the guilt in his eyes and she knew the wish was real, her chest tightening a little so she turned her head and pressed her lips against his palm and closed her eyes. She knew that whatever he had tried to do, it had been because he wanted to protect or save her. So even if he had asked to forget her, she would have to try and be patient and wait to ask him what he was thinking. 

He hesitated a second, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple, closing his eyes as he let his lips linger there for a moment. “I love you,” he whispered, voice barely audible.

Chloe took a deep breath and lifted her hand to his cheek as she turned her head and nodded a little. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him softly.

Oliver kissed her back gently and leaned his forehead against hers. “Are you hungry?” he murmured.

“No,” she whispered, looking up at him as she brushed her fingers over his cheek. “Just relax.”

He let out a breath, leaning into her touch. “You’re the one who was shot and you’re worried about me. Why isn’t this a surprising turn of events?” 

“Because it’s just how it goes,” she told him quietly, her chest tightening. “Besides, I’ve probably had all the best doctors you could find looking out for me and you haven’t been eating or sleeping since it happened. I have reason to worry.” Not to mention blaming himself.

“I slept,” he protested, meeting her eyes. Granted, it had been in the chair beside her bed for a few minutes a time, but he wasn’t going to admit that part.

“Nodding off doesn’t count as sleeping.” She arched her eyebrows at him. “And how badly did your back hurt from that chair, Ollie? You know you could have at least demanded a second bed in here, right?”

Except he hadn’t _deserved_ to sleep. Not while he was afraid she might never wake up. He shook his head. “I know.” 

She looked at him for a moment and brushed her thumb over his cheek. “Think you can lay down here with me?” She whispered, holding his gaze.

“I don’t wanna risk hurting you,” he said, frown furrowing his brow.

“I’ll let you know if it hurts or if I’m uncomfortable,” she promised. It was the only way she was going to get him to get some rest and she guessed he would feel a lot better once he slept.

He hesitated for a moment, then lowered the railing on one side of her bed, slipping his shoes off and crawling onto the bed beside her, sliding his arm beneath her pillow and kissing her cheek.

Chloe shifted very carefully to give him a little more room because she knew if she winced, he would get up. Once she was settled, she snuggled against him and nodded. “This is much more comfortable,” she whispered, smiling a little as him as she brushed her nose against his.

Oliver watched her carefully to make sure she wasn’t in any pain and when he was satisfied that she was okay for the moment, he laid his head down beside her, kissing her softly on the mouth. “Rest,” he murmured. 

“You too,” she said quietly, taking his hand in hers and watching him for a moment before sighing softly and closing her eyes. 

He buried his face against her shoulder, letting his eyes drift shut for the first time in a long time, and falling fast asleep within moments.

Chloe smiled softly when she felt him relaxing next to her. Regardless of what had gone through his mind when he decided to talk to Zatanna, regardless of what his wish had been, she was glad she had convinced him to take it back because no matter how close they got in their alternate reality, she missed all the memories they had of their lives together up until now and even with an arrow hole in her stomach, she wouldn’t give up their reality for anything.


	14. Chapter 14

Oliver parked the car as close to the building as he could get and quickly shut it down, throwing open his car door and quickly moving around to the passenger side, opening her door for her and reaching in, carefully removing her seatbelt. “Slowly,” he whispered.

“I know,” she said, smiling softly at him and nodding. “I will not be doing anything that will get me back in that place, trust me.”

He kissed her quickly on the lips and pulled away to give her some room to move and step out of the car. “I didn’t figure you would.” He held his hands out to her in case she needed help.

She stood up carefully then nodded at him. “Hard part is over,” she promised. “Walking isn’t so bad.” Trying not to put pressure on her stomach or stretch it too much when getting up and sitting down was way trickier. 

“Are you sure? I can carry you,” he offered, eyes worried.

“I know you can.” She smirked at him. “But walking is good.”

“Oh, sure. Make me feel useless,” he teased, walking backwards toward their building even as he held onto one of her hands.

“You’re here to catch me if I fall, even if you are missing your shining leather,” Chloe said, smirking at him.

Oliver smiled faintly at that. “I am,” he agreed.

She smiled back at him and squeezed his hand as she stopped in front of the elevator. “See, not too bad.” 

He pressed the button for the elevator and waited, gazing at her intently. “Bart stocked the place with stuff for us,” he told her quietly.

“Good, you can make me food and not feel useless anymore,” she said lightly even as she noticed the look on his face. Once the elevator doors slid open, she made her way in without hesitation, but still moving slowly and carefully. 

He followed her in, and punched the button for their floor, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re feeling okay?” 

“Yeah.” She nodded a little, cocking her head as she watched him. “Are you?”

Oliver nodded, too. “Glad to be home,” he admitted. “I’m sure you are, too.” 

“Incredibly glad,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Between the hospital and an alternate reality, it feels like forever.” It was the first time she was bringing this up with him, but she couldn’t wait any longer. 

He held his breath at that, turning his head to stare at her, eyes wide, mouth gaped open.

Chloe arched her eyebrows at the look on his face then frowned slowly. “You remember it too, don’t you?”

Oliver swallowed hard and looked down at the floor as the elevator pulled to a stop. “Yeah.” 

“You didn’t think I did,” she said quietly, squeezing his hand as they walked out of the elevator.

“No one else has, so I...” He shook his head, chewing the inside of his cheek.

Chloe nodded slightly. “I just didn’t want to talk about it at the hospital,” she admitted as she walked toward the couch.

“So you’ve...all along?” He watched her sit down carefully on the sofa.

“Yeah,” she whispered, lifting her head to look at him once she sat down and leaned against the back of the couch.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “Are you all right?” 

“I’m okay,” she told him quietly, her stomach a little tight but she was trying to relax both not to put pressure on the still healing wound and because her husband already looked extremely guilty over this whole thing. “Sit down, Ollie.”

“Are you sure you don’t...want some water or coffee or something?” He looked down.

“I’m sure,” she said, keeping her eyes on him. She had put this conversation off long enough and it was killing her not to have answers. 

Rubbing his hands over his face, he reluctantly sat down beside her on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees.

She sighed at his posture and shook her head. “Stop being so dramatic,” she said, placing a hand on his back. “I just want to understand what happened.”

Oliver glanced back at her, sighing, too. “I assumed you’d figured it out.” 

“I figured it had something to do with somehow saving me, but... I don’t know what you asked for,” she admitted, watching him closely.

He looked away once more, shutting his eyes and wondering if she would ever forgive him once she knew. “Zatanna owed me one,” he whispered. “From a long time ago.” 

“I know she was the one who cast the spell,” she said, frowning when he looked away again.

Oliver was silent for a moment, nodding. “You want to know what I wished.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” she told him, sitting up a little but stopping when she felt some discomfort. The last thing she wanted was to not finish this conversation.

He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “That you had never met me,” he whispered.

Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest tight. She had thought it might be something like this and she kept telling herself he had done this to try and protect her, to save her. But hearing the confirmation hurt, worst, it made her _angry_. 

When she didn’t say anything, he held his breath, and opened his eyes once more, staring across the room at the wall. “Every time something like this happens, it’s my fault,” he whispered. “And I never know if it’s going to be this time that’s it. The time that...that you _don’t_ wake up. That you don’t come back to me. And I don’t know if I can live with that, Chloe.” 

She remained silent for a moment, her jaw clenched as she opened her eyes and stared at the back of his head, wishing she could stand up and walk around to try to relieve some of the tension. “Nothing that has happened is _your_ fault, Oliver,” she told him tightly. “My involvement with everything is _my choice_. With the life that we lead, with the team, with _you_. I chose all those things for myself _knowingly_. I have always known the risk and I have always understood what I was getting myself into as well as the price it came with it.”

He could hear the anger in her voice, and he didn’t blame her. If their situations had been reversed, he would’ve felt the same. “I know,” he said quietly.

“I know you were scared,” she told him, shifting slightly on the couch, toward him. “I know you were angry and you felt guilty and helpless, so I’m _trying_ to understand why you did this. But I need _you_ to understand that no matter how bad things got, no matter how hard it was, I would _never_ want to forget you, to forget what we have.”

When he looked back at her, his eyes were warm with tears. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. His voice was raw, filled with emotion. “I am a weak man.” He swallowed hard, one of the tears trickling down his cheek. “Especially when I think that--” He shook his head.

Her chest tightened even more when she realized he was crying, her own eyes getting warm with tears. She shook her head and shifted closer to him. “You are _not_ weak,” she told him firmly, lifting a hand to cup his face and brush away his tears. “You were willing to give everything up because you thought it might save my life, that’s a price I would be willing to pay too. I have,” she whispered. “That isn’t a weakness, Ollie. We just need to remember that... it’s never the best option. Not for us.”

He buried his face against her neck, his hand sliding up into her hair. “I know that now,” he murmured. “Even in another reality I couldn’t stay away from you.” 

She wrapped both arms around him and held him tightly, closing her eyes. “And me from you,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his hair. 

“I couldn’t lose you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against her shoulder. “I don’t think I could survive it.” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, rubbing a hand over his back. “I couldn’t be without you either.”

Oliver nodded against her, letting out a breath. “I’m holding you to that, Professor.”

“I love you,” she whispered to him, turning her head and pressing her nose then a kiss to his neck. “And no matter what happens, we can get through it, as long as we’re together.”

“I love you, too.” He rubbed her back gently, leaning his head against hers. “And I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to apologize,” she whispered, holding his gaze. “Just promise me you will remember that.”

He nodded again. “I promise.” 

Chloe nodded back, letting out her breath as she relaxed slightly. She cupped his face in her hand then leaned in and kissed him firmly.

Oliver kissed her back without hesitation, then leaned his forehead against hers once more. “You need to rest,” he said softly. 

“So do you,” she whispered, brushing her fingers through his hair.

“Then let’s get comfortable.” He rose to his feet, holding his hand out to her to help her up.

Chloe took his hand and stood up then arched her eyebrows at him. “Think you could carry me the rest of the way?”

“I’d love to,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead before carefully picking her up and carrying her toward their bedroom.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kept her eyes on his face even as he laid her down on the bed. “I missed our bed.”

“Me too,” he admitted, lying down beside her. “Let’s just stay in it for awhile.” 

Chloe smiled a little at that and reached for his hand. “Too bad we can’t do much more than rest for a while longer.”

“We’ll get there,” he said quietly, lacing his fingers through hers.

“Oh, I know.” She glanced over at him. “We need to resume practicing.” 

He couldn’t help but smile at that, looking down at her stomach and holding his breath for a moment. “You feelin’ okay?” 

“Yeah.” She nodded, squeezing his hand as she kept her eyes on his face. “Let’s just stay here for a while and when we get tired, I’ll take a painkiller to sleep.”

“All right.” He shifted closer to her so they were both resting their heads on the same pillow. 

Chloe turned her head and kissed his cheek softly. “Lack of memory aside, that reality wasn’t that bad.”

“Because we found each other,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” she whispered to him. “Something tells me we always will.”

~Fini~


End file.
